A strike by around 3,400 conductors, engineers and signal maintainers who work for Canadian Pacific Railway has been averted, at least temporarily. Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) would have walked off the job starting after midnight on Saturday morning. Instead, TCRC and IBEW… Read more »
Category: News
Five more CWRS varieties to be moved to new wheat class due to lower gluten strength
The Canadian Grain Commission has announced it is moving five more Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat varieties to the new Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) wheat class due to these varieties not meeting gluten requirements for Western Canada’s flagship CWRS class. After hearing concerns about gluten strength from customers, the Grain Commission tightened the… Read more »
AMI evolves program offerings under Canadian Agricultural Partnership
The Agri-Food Management Institute (AMI) has announced plans to deliver a mixture of established and new farm management programming under the newly launched Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Existing AMI initiatives, including the Advanced Farm Management Program, Transition Smart, and the Learning Roadshow, will continue under the new five-year federal-provincial ag funding framework. AMI plans to launch… Read more »
Walmart Foundation grant to fund Canadian project to reduce food waste
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity has received a grant of over US$520,000 from the Walmart Foundation to fund research into Canadian attitudes on food waste. The funding will also be used to assist food and beverage businesses make changes to achieve measurable food waste reductions. It’s estimated that 18% of Canada’s food waste happens… Read more »
ATP Nutrition acquired by biological company Inocucor
Manitoba-based crop nutrient company ATP Nutrition has been acquired by a startup company that specializes in microbial products for plant and soil health. Inocucor Corporation announced the purchase of ATP Nutrition on Tuesday. “The combination of biologicals…with plant nutrients in ready-to-use combinations is unique in the ag sector,” says Donald R. Marvin, president and CEO… Read more »
Canadian Competition Bureau still reviewing Bayer-Monsanto deal
With the European Union granting its conditional approval in late March, and U.S. antitrust authorities reportedly set to give their thumbs-up signal, Canada’s competition regulator has yet to issue its decision on Bayer’s proposed acquisition of Monsanto. The US$66 billion deal, which was originally announced in September 2016, has significant implications in the Canadian market,… Read more »
Elmer’s Manufacturing acquiring maker of Wolverine rotary ditcher
Farm equipment maker Elmer’s Manufacturing has announced a deal to acquire another southern Manitoba-based manufacturer, adding rotary ditching equipment to the Elmer’s product lineup. Elmer’s has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Dynamic Ditchers Inc., the makers of the Wolverine Extreme Rotary Ditcher. Production will be moved from Dynamic’s location near Dugald, Man…. Read more »
AgriClear online cattle market shuts down
An online marketplace for buying and selling cattle that was launched in 2015 has closed, as of Monday, April 16. AgriClear sent a notice to participants and stakeholders last week that a decision had been made to discontinue the AgriClear platform and website. “After careful consideration of the challenges in creating a robust online livestock… Read more »
Monsanto BioAg BioAdvantage Trial – 2017 results
The third year of Monsanto BioAg’s BioAdvantage Trials (BAT) wrapped up with a morning event that had co-operators, agronomists, and reps feeling optimistic for the growing season to come. The event was held in Saskatoon, the home of partner brand Novozymes’ headquarters and a hub for Western Canadian Ag. The event would update attendees on… Read more »
Kubota plans new head office and warehouse build in Ontario
Kubota Canada Ltd. is moving to a new facility located in Pickering, Ontario, which should be completed by the end of 2019. A new 565,000 square-foot facility will house the company’s Canadian head office and warehouse, a move away from the Markham, ON, location it has operated out of since 1975. The $67 million investment… Read more »
Cargill expands rail-loading capacity at Lethbridge
Cargill has committed $20 million towards expansion of its rail loading facilities at its Lethbridge, AB, location. The company says the expansion will more than double loading capacity at the facility for grain moving towards the West Coast. Construction is set to be complete by mid-way through this year’s harvest, the company says. “The industry standard… Read more »
Bayer planning to sell digital farming business to BASF
Bayer has confirmed it will be selling its digital farming business to gain approval of its acquisition of Monsanto instead of licensing the digital assets out to a competing company. In gaining regulatory approval of the deal in Europe, Bayer had agreed to license its digital farming package to BASF. However, in a statement shared… Read more »
Team Alberta launches online sustainability assessment tool and resource library
A group of four crop commissions in Alberta has launched an online farm sustainability readiness assessment tool today, in an effort to advance on-farm sustainability in the country. Through their new website, Team Alberta (made up of Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola, Alberta Pulse Growers and Alberta Wheat Commission) provides three self-assessment questionnaires, learning and action-planning… Read more »
Syngenta Canada names new president; Bradshaw set to retire
Syngenta Canada will undergo a change in leadership at the end of May. The company has announced Jay Bradshaw will be retiring from his role as president and territory head for Canada. He will be replaced by Trevor Heck, effective June 1, 2018. Bradshaw has been the head of Syngenta’s Canadian operations for nearly 17… Read more »
Quebec cattle producers join Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
Canada’s national cattle producer organization now includes representation from Quebec’s provincial cattle producer organization. Les Producteurs de bovins du Québec (PBQ) has officially become a member of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), announced PBQ chair Claude Viel, alongside the CCA’s Dan Darling and John Masswohl, at the provincial group’s annual general assembly in Quebec City… Read more »