Government relations work on behalf of farmers buying ag inputs from outside Canada may go more easily through a new, non-profit advocacy group, according to Farmers of North America (FNA). FNA, a Saskatoon-based group that brokers deals for lower-cost imports of farm chemicals, fertilizer and other inputs and equipment on members’ behalf, on Tuesday announced […] Read more
FNA launches non-profit lobbying wing
Canada boosts food aid, lifts limit on sourcing
Canada has untied its remaining limits on where federally-funded food aid can be sourced, and has pledged to spend 28 per cent more on such aid this year. Food aid programming will get $230 million this fiscal year, up $50 million, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said in a release Wednesday. Canada will also open […] Read more
Alta. to process cull pork for food banks
The Alberta government will put up $300,000 to process ground pork from animals slaughtered through the new federal cull breeding swine program, for use by the province’s food banks. The provincial funding, announced Wednesday, is meant to help pay to process the sow carcasses from the cull program into usable meat with the Alberta Food […] Read more
Newfoundland budgets for ag development
Newfoundland and Labrador’s latest budget offers the province’s farmers a number of new programs aimed at further developing the industry. The budget, released Tuesday, forecasts a surplus of $544 million for 2008-09 and confirms a $1.4 billion surplus for 2007-08. It also forecasts the province’s net debt will drop from its March 2007 level of […] Read more
Que. brewery gets $1M for expansion
It’s hoped local farmers will be among the beneficiaries of a Baie-St. Paul, Que. brewery’s expansion, for which the province and Ottawa will kick in $1 million in total loans and grants. Gestion Bistro Brasserie, which has operated a craft microbrewery and restaurant in the community about 90 km northeast of Quebec City since 1998, […] Read more
Food prices to bite Canada’s grocers: report
Faced with the “Wal-Mart effect,” Canada’s grocery retailers can’t depend on price hikes to cope with rising food prices, according to a new report from the George Morris Centre. The Guelph-based ag think tank on Tuesday released a new report on sales and pricing challenges in the Canadian food and beverage sector. It noted that […] Read more
Manitoba, Australia link up on drought research
Joint research work on crops’ drought tolerance and on how fresh foods can fight disease is up for $900,000 in Manitoba government funding. The province on Tuesday said it will fund three research projects at the University of Manitoba that involve work-sharing with three different institutions in Australia. They include: study of how plants and […] Read more
Funds up for Que. farms’ “green” work
Quebec will boost its funding for the federal/provincial Prime-Vert program to include programs that help farmers improve water quality and cut excess greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Quebec program, funded through the recently-extended portion of the federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework, promotes best-management practices and supports projects that allow farms to comply with environmental regulations, laws and […] Read more
Dry P prices nearly double: KAP survey
The annual spring fertilizer and fuel price survey by Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) shows phosphorous (P) prices up by 75 to nearly 100 per cent since last year. The survey, conducted April 4-21 at dealers across the province and released Monday, also noted “significant” increases in potash, sulfur and nitrogen fertilizers and an increase […] Read more
Campbell to shut Ont. food plant
Campbell Soup Co. says it will close its southern Ontario food plant next year as it sheds several businesses to “enhance long-term profitability.” The 48-year-old facility at Listowel, about 65 km west of Guelph, employs about 500 people making mostly frozen products such as soup, entrees, ramen noodles and Pepperidge Farm-brand products. New Jersey-based Campbell […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
