Nova Scotia farmers are expected to get compensation for livestock losses and crop damage caused by wildlife under a new program announced Thursday. Agriculture Minister Brooke Taylor said the program, to be cost-shared through a recently extended portion of the federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework, will provide assistance to farmers who experience damage to eligible products […] Read more
N.S. farmers get wildlife compensation plan
Ridley earnings up in “challenging” Q3
Feed maker Ridley Inc., in the midst of courting potential new owners, has posted improved quarterly earnings in the face of a shrinking Canadian swine herd. Ridley on Thursday announced net earnings of $5 million on $167.3 million in revenue (all figures US$) for its third quarter ending March 31, compared to $3.1 million on […] Read more
Dump feed wheat contract: ICE brass
Management of the former Winnipeg Commodity Exchange are recommending its feed wheat futures contract be pulled from trading. In a memo Tuesday to exchange participants, ICE Futures Canada management said they will recommend to the Winnipeg exchange’s board of directors that the December 2008 and subsequent feed wheat futures contract months be removed from trading. […] Read more
Red ink rising again at Atlantic Beef: CBC
Following a public bailout, losses are increasing again at the Atlantic Beef Products plant on Prince Edward Island, CBC reported Thursday. The plant had managed to cut monthly losses from $500,000 in early 2007 to about half that amount by late summer. However, CBC reports, the plant, which has been without a manager since December, […] Read more
UAP takeover complete
Calgary fertilizer and ag retail firm Agrium has officially wrapped up its US$2.65 billion friendly takeover of UAP. Agrium announced Wednesday it has successfully completed its cash deal to buy the Colorado ag retail company for US$39 per share through a subsidiary, Utah Acquisition, which will now be merged with and into UAP. UAP will […] Read more
U of Guelph goes big with food focus group
Canadians’ eating habits and reactions to food safety scares may soon be tracked through a 2,000-member consumer panel developed at the University of Guelph. The Guelph Food Panel is billed as the first large-scale panel consumer group dedicated to food and research. It’s expected the panel will allow researchers to survey participants with 24 hours’ […] Read more
Research on BSE vaccine funded
Development of a BSE vaccine for cattle, and a mathematical study of the risk to people who eat meat from BSE-infected cattle, are up for PrioNet Canada funding, the research network announced Wednesday. PrioNet Canada, which is funded by the federally-backed Networks of Centres of Excellence Canada, announced $8 million in funding for 19 research […] Read more
Man., Sask. seeding resume
Saskatchewan farmers are slightly behind their five-year average in terms of seeding progress, while many Manitoba farmers are back on the fields after a cold spell the previous week. Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry reports four per cent of the 2008 crop in the ground as of May 4, up from one per cent the previous week […] Read more
Cold snap hammers Okanagan orchards: report
Fruit growers in British Columbia’s Okanagan are reporting substantial damage to their orchards this spring due to unseasonably cold weather and a recent hard freeze, the Globe and Mail reported Wednesday. Joe Sardinha, president of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, told the Globe’s Cathryn Atkinson that despite the damage, he did not expect the cost […] Read more
Feed maker Ridley up for sale
Feed manufacturer Ridley Inc. says it’s reviewing options now that its Australian parent aims to sell its majority stake. Ridley Corp., the Sydney, Australia feed and salt company that owns a 69 per cent controlling interest in TSX-traded Ridley Inc., has told the firm’s board that it wants to sell, “subject to receiving satisfactory offers,” […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
