‘Tis the season for not just gifts and celebrations, but also countdowns and Top 10 lists. RealAgriculture.com is not immune to such year-end traditions, and, in the spirit of the holidays (and impending end of the world? Maybe), Shaun Haney and Lyndsey Smith have done an overview of the year’s top ag news and events…. Read More

Glencore International and Viterra Inc. have announced the sale of Viterra to Glencore has been completed. The acquisition brings Glencore immediate critical mass in the key grain markets of North America through Viterra’s substantial Canadian operations, the company says in a release. Viterra also materially expands Glencore’s existing operations in Australia. Fran Malecha, formerly Chief… Read More

Canada’s Competition Bureau has approved the sale of Puratone Corporation to Maple Leaf Foods and Big Sky Farms to Olymel in a major step towards consolidation of Canada’s and especially Western Canada’s hog industry. The bureau said in a statement: “the Bureau concluded that the mergers were unlikely to lead to a substantial lessening or… Read More

More government assistance is on the way for Ontario livestock producers facing severe forage shortages as a result of this summer’s dry growing conditions, according to a recent announcement by the federal government. The governments of Canada and Ontario will provide assistance through AgriRecovery to help livestock producers with transportation costs incurred in accessing feed… Read More

Last week, the federal government announced three new Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-based programs under the Growing Forward 2 banner — AgriInnovation, AgriMarketing and AgriCompetitiveness. While the press release outlines some details about the programs, the supplied information was a little light. RealAgriculture.com asked AAFC for further details. Below is the Q and A exchange (unedited)…. Read More

The Province of Saskatchewan, the University of Saskatchewan and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp) have launched the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) to develop Saskatchewan-led solutions to feed a growing world population. With initial commitments of up to $35 million from PotashCorp and $15 million from the province over the next seven years,… Read More

In the story that seemed like it would never end.  China has finally approved the Glencore purchase of Viterra.  Many people in the industry were starting to question whether the deal would actually ever happen due to the constant delays and extensions of the deadline. See the press release. According to the press release:  This was the… Read More

The threat of bovine tuberculosis from wild populations of animals in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park area has weighed heavily on cattle producers in the region for some time. The region has seen a steady decline in cattle and ranchers in part due to this threat. As a plan of attack, Manitoba recently announced the… Read More