(Dave Bedard photo)

Bayer crop unit apologizes to farmers after Twitter gaffe

Chicago | Reuters –– Bayer AG’s crop science division apologized on Monday for a tweet that suggested reduced meat demand could benefit the environment, in a bid to appease outraged farmers who buy the company’s seeds and chemicals. The tweet, published on the official Bayer CropScience (@Bayer4crops) account on Sunday, linked to a Vox.com article […] Read more

(NBFairs.ca)

Audit rips New Brunswick’s oversight of ag fairs

New Brunswick’s provincial government plans to update the legislation governing agricultural fair associations, following an audit that criticizes several departments for lack of oversight on the fair organizations. Given ag fairs’ charitable gaming privileges and exemptions available for property and income taxes, Auditor General Kim MacPherson found “limited provincial processes to monitor compliance” with the […] Read more



North Dakota’s Legislative Assembly in 2014. (Governor.nd.gov)

North Dakotans put ‘corporate’ farming to vote

Reuters — North Dakotans are voting Tuesday in a referendum to repeal a law enacted last year that changed decades of family-farming rules in the state by allowing corporations to own and operate dairy and hog farms. The North Dakota Farmers Union and other groups that collected signatures to put the referendum on the ballot […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Lower feed costs weigh on supply-managed goods

CNS Canada –– Relatively soft feed grain prices over the past year mean producers of supply-managed commodities, such as milk and eggs, have also received lower prices for their products. Such is the interpretation of industry participants accounting for declines in the latest Farm Price Index data released by Statistics Canada. The livestock and animal […] Read more

(AllflexUSA.com)

Canada’s PSP buys stake in tag maker Allflex

Reuters — PSP Investments, one of Canada’s biggest pension funds, said Friday it had acquired a significant minority stake in Allflex Group, the world’s biggest maker of electronic tags for animals, from private equity firm BC Partners. The purchase was overseen by PSP’s new team in London, led by Simon Marc, and is likely to […] Read more



The Collins Bay Institution at Kingston, Ont. includes maximum, medium and minimum security facilities for up to 720 male inmates. (CSC-scc.gc.ca)

Ottawa plans study for new Kingston prison farm

The federal government is set to run a study reconsidering the previous administration’s decision to shut farming operations at federal penitentiaries. Following up on a Liberal campaign pledge, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) announced plans Thursday for a feasibility study including both in-person and online consultations with stakeholders and the public. Specifically, CSC said […] Read more


(Giuseppe Carotenuto photo courtesy FAO)

World food markets set for stable year: FAO

Rome | Reuters — Global food commodity markets are likely to remain stable in the coming year, the United Nations’ food agency said on Thursday, even as prices rose for the fourth straight month. Solid output prospects and abundant stocks should keep prices and supplies stable, while lower prices than those seen last year are […] Read more

Saputo’s Canadian dairy division includes brands such as Dairyland, Neilson, Nutrilait, Baxter and Armstrong. (Dave Bedard photo)

Saputo eyes Brazil for acquisitions

Reuters — Saputo Inc., one of Canada’s largest dairy producers, has an eye on Brazil for possible acquisitions, and could make deals worth as much as $3.5 billion, its CEO said Thursday. The struggling global dairy industry is fragmented, potentially yielding opportunities, Lino Saputo Jr. said. The company would like to buy cheesemaking plants in […] Read more