Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced changes to his cabinet on Wednesday following the resignation of Lyle Stewart as Minister of Agriculture. David Marit has been appointed to the agriculture portfolio. He previously served as Minister of Highways and Infrastructure. Marit was elected as MLA for the southwest Saskatchewan riding of Wood River in 2016, and… Read more »
Category: News
Producers who delivered grain to Canadian Exotic Grains receive compensation
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) says producers who filed eligible claims of non-payment for grain delivered to Canadian Exotic Grains Ltd. are receiving full compensation through the CGC’s producer payment protection program. The pulse and specialty crop buyer at Eston, Saskatchewan had its grain dealer license revoked on April 26, 2018, after the CGC said… Read more »
Four Manitoba commodity groups still exploring amalgamation
The number of commodity groups in Manitoba that are exploring the possibility of amalgamating has dropped from five to four. Following a meeting in late July, the Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA), Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA), National Sunflower Association of Canada (NSAC) and the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Association (MWBGA) have decided to continue… Read more »
BIXS updates name ahead of going public
Cattle traceability platform BIXS is getting a rebrand ahead of its parent Business Information Exchange Systems (BIXS) moving forward on plans to go public in late 2018. BIXSco Inc. announced this month that the company has rebranded as BIX Systems, comprised of Viewtrak Technologies and BIXSco Inc., as they work on first round fund-raising with… Read more »
Canadian tractor and combine sales rebound
The Association of Equipment Manufactures (AEM) has released its flash report for July, and things are looking up when it comes to the sale of new farm equipment. If we look back to this spring, deliveries of new 4-wheel drive (4WD) tractors and combines in Canada were down around 7 and 5 percent through April…. Read more »
Record sales for Cervus Equipment linked to strong Canadian ag sector
Pointing to the strength of the Canadian agriculture sector, Cervus Equipment Corp is reporting record sales in its latest quarter update. “Once again (Cervus) generated a record sales quarter with the highest new equipment deliveries to customers for a single quarter in Cervus’ history,” president and CEO of Cervus Equipment, Graham Drake says. “In Ontario, our… Read more »
U.S. coalition calls for reinstatement of COOL
A U.S. lobby group that is closely aligned with the Trump administration on trade policy is trying to bring mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) back into the spotlight through the NAFTA negotiations. The Coalition for a Prosperous America, whose board includes R-CALF USA director Bill Bullard, sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on… Read more »
Lyle Stewart stepping down to undergo cancer treatment
Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart is stepping down from his post after being diagnosed with cancer. Stewart, who underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2014, shared the news in a statement issued by the province on Thursday. “I was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer and will be undergoing several months of pretty aggressive treatment,” he… Read more »
Maple Leaf Foods spending $28 million on Edmonton plant upgrades
Maple Leaf Foods (MLF) is spending $28 million to transitioning the company’s Edmonton poultry processing plant to a “world-class controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) technology facility.” The company plans to convert is transportation, receiving and holding area and handling systems to optimize rest time and create a climate-controlled environment as it implements the CAS technology, the… Read more »
Simplot acquires access to CRISPR-Cas9 gene technology
One of the largest potato processors in North America has acquired access to new gene-editing technology. J.R. Simplot company has secured a deal with Corteva Agriscience (the agriculture division of DowDuPont), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for the license of CRISPR-Cas9, along with other gene-editing tools. Along with potatos, Simplot produces a full… Read more »
Saudi Arabia halts purchases of Canadian wheat and barley
Canadian wheat and barley exports have been caught in the escalating diplomatic dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government issued a notice on Tuesday to stop all purchases of wheat and barley from Canada. While the Saudi market isn’t a major export destination, the impact will likely be felt in the barley market… Read more »
Grain Growers of Canada welcomes new members
Grain Growers of Canada welcomed four new members at the group’s annual summer meeting in Guelph, Ont. last week. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, and Producteurs de grains du Québec joined the national crop producer policy organization. “From our perspective, GFO needed a strong voice in Ottawa that represented farmers,” noted GFO CEO… Read more »
Cummins recalls 500,000 diesel trucks
Cummins is voluntarily recalling approximately 500,000 medium and heavy-duty trucks built between 2010 and 2015 — the largest voluntary truck emissions recall in U.S. history, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The problem stems from the durability of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The SCR system controls NOx emissions, and was designed to last for… Read more »
Gabrielle Ferguson to lead Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program
The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) has announced that Gabrielle Ferguson will take the helm of its leadership program offerings, including its flagship Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP). As leadership programs director, Ferguson will be directly responsible for managing the long-running agriculture and food industry executive development program. She will also work to maintain and create sponsor relationships… Read more »
Grain Commission to invest $4 million from user fee surplus in Harvest Sample Program
The Canadian Grain Commission has announced its first expenditure to draw down its $100-plus million user fee surplus that it collected from farmers from 2013 to 2017. The CGC says it will invest $4 million over the next five years in enhancing its Harvest Sample Program. Producers who submit wheat samples to the program starting… Read more »