Brian Douglas has been named as Prince Edward Island’s new deputy minister of agriculture, replacing Wayne Hooper. Douglas has previously worked as the agriculture department’s laboratory manager (1989-2000), manager of farm extension services (2000-02) and director of the agriculture resource division from 20003 until this appointment. He also worked for the provincial environment department as […] Read more
P.E.I. names new deputy ag minister
Atlantic Beef deadline flexible: Ghiz
P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz said yesterday he’s willing to extend the deadline past the end of September before making a final decision on the province’s future involvement in the Atlantic Beef Products packing plant. The province has been a minority shareholder since 2002 and also built the waste treatment plant to support the facility, which […] Read more
Ruling may free up jam maker for sale
Well-known Ontario jam maker E.D. Smith today expects that a provincial Superior Court order will clear the path for the income fund’s friendly takeover by a U.S. food processor. The order “rectifies” paperwork dealing with transactions relating to the company’s initial public offering (IPO) as an income trust in 2005, to “correctly reflect the intention […] Read more
B.C. to extend tax breaks for ports
The British Columbia government plans to extend a property tax cap for 20 major West Coast industrial ports for another 10 years to ensure the ports “remain competitive into the future,” the province said yesterday. The Ports Competitiveness Initiative, first introduced in 2003, caps the municipal property tax rates for eligible port facilities and compensates […] Read more
Clock ticking on AAFC consulting service
Time is running down for farmers to take advantage of a federal program that offers business consulting services at a fraction of the usual cost. Chris Ruschowski, regional manager for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) specialized business planning services program, warned farmers in a Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food newsletter this week that the program is […] Read more
Sask. harvest continues ahead of average
Saskatchewan’s 2007 harvest remains ahead of the province’s five-year average despite weather conditions that have further delayed combining for farmers in northern growing regions. Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food said today in its crop report for the week of Sept. 9 that 55 per cent of the 2007 crop has been harvested, compared to the 2002-06 […] Read more
Express SG approved ahead of winter wheat
DuPont Canada said today it has picked up approval for its Group 2 herbicide Express SG to be used with glyphosate as a burnoff before seeding winter wheat. DuPont cereals and oilseeds product manager Travis Schoonbaert said farmers who want to control broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, narrow-leaved hawk’s beard, stinkweed and volunteer canola before […] Read more
Former Sask. ag minister won’t run again
Clay Serby, Saskatchewan’s deputy premier and former minister of agriculture (2000-04) announced today he won’t seek re-election. Serby will continue as MLA for Yorkton until Premier Lorne Calvert calls an election, as many observers expect will happen soon. Serby still serves as deputy premier and handles the Saskatchewan Property Management portfolio, and no announcement has […] Read more
Funding to spur E. coli vaccine production
Biotech firm Bioniche Life Sciences of Belleville, Ont., plans to use $2 million in Ontario government funding to build up production of a vaccine expected to cut down levels of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria in cattle. The vaccine, which is “indicated” to reduce the amount of E. coli bacteria cattle shed in their dung, will […] Read more
Stubble smoke gets in Winnipeg’s eyes
Smoke from resumed stubble burning on Manitoba farms Wednesday is being blamed for a severe smash-up between three semi-trailers on a Winnipeg truck route, among other reported traffic accidents in the city early Thursday morning. The provincial agriculture department on Sept. 5 lifted a blanket ban on burning of crop residue that had been in […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
