Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has approved feed maker Ridley’s $6 million settlement proposal to end its exposure to a proposed class-action suit brought by cattle producers over the arrival of BSE in the Canadian cattle herd. The court on Wednesday gave its provisional approval to the February 2008 settlement agreement, subject to the company […] Read more
Ont. court approves Ridley BSE settlement
Liberals offer “green shift” offsets for farmers
Sweetening the federal Liberals’ proposed “green shift” plan in anticipation of an election call, party leader Stephane Dion proposes to put farmers among the beneficiaries of $900 million in “green” incentives. The Liberals’ proposed “green shift” environmental and economic plan will now include a $250 million Green Farms Fund, $400 million in emissions reduction credits […] Read more
CFA chief quits post for Liberals
The president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has resigned his post to run for the federal Liberals in Manitoba. Bob Friesen, a former turkey and hog farmer from Wawanesa, Man., about 50 km southeast of Brandon, has been the CFA’s president for nine years. Friesen, well known as an advocate for Canadian farmers and […] Read more
Que. to expand sugar bushes on Crown land
Quebec’s natural resources ministry plans to award new rights to produce maple syrup on Crown land in coming months. In a release Wednesday, the province said it made the decision based on a recent boost in production quotas by the Federation des producteurs acericoles du Quebec (FPAQ), already approved by the province’s agri-food marketing board. […] Read more
Alta. to redevelop research greenhouses
Alberta’s horticultural crop development centre is up for a $16.5 million overhaul, the province announced Wednesday. Ag Minister George Groeneveld announced the province will demolish the 40-year-old greenhouse facilities at the Crop Diversification Centre South (CDCS) at Brooks, 180 km southeast of Calgary, and build a new, larger greenhouse facility at the site. The new […] Read more
Projects funded to boost ag work force
An ag industry sector council’s work to deepen Canada’s agricultural labour pool has picked up $1.3 million in new federal funds. Speaking Wednesday at La Ferme Gillette at Embrun, Ont., southern Ontario MP Pierre Lemieux announced the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) will get funding for three projects through the federal Sector Council Program. […] Read more
Rains stall Man. harvest, Sask. behind average
Saskatchewan farmers were able to move forward on harvest last week while rainfall bogged down operations in Manitoba, the two provinces’ agriculture departments reported Tuesday. Reporters in parts of Saskatchewan expressed concerns about flooding, ergot, bleaching, staining and lodging, the province said. Southern areas in the province got up to 50 mm of rainfall on […] Read more
Deere to shut Ontario plant
A southern Ontario factory making John Deere’s Gator utility vehicles and farm equipment attachments is expected to close by the end of 2009, with its work shipped to the U.S. and Mexico. Deere and Co. announced Tuesday that it will close its plant at Welland, Ont., southwest of Niagara Falls, affecting about 800 workers. The […] Read more
BASF names new Canadian ag chief
BASF’s former global fungicide marketing manager is returning to Canada as the head of the German chemical giant’s Canadian ag product lines. Brian Denys has been named business director for BASF Canada Crop Protection, effective Sept. 1, the company said in a release Tuesday. Denys, who grew up on a farm in western Ontario and […] Read more
Aphid-resistant soybean variety launched
Syngenta Seeds Canada plans to have North America’s first aphid-resistant soybean variety available for sale to growers in November, the company said Tuesday. RAG1 soybean seeds offer “season-long protection” from soybean aphids, the company said. The variety has a rare genetic trait that’s “native only to soybean,” was developed in RAG1 using traditional plant breeding […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
