The Saskatchewan Agri-Environmental Advisory Council, the producer group responsible for providing direction for the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program, will receive one-year funding during the transition between the Agriculture Policy Framework (APF) and Growing Forward, the new agricultural policy framework. The funding results from an agreement between the provincial and federal governments The council says […] Read more
Saskatchewan EFPs funded
Dandelion control added to Refine M label
DuPont has received registration for an expanded Refine M herbicide tank mix to include dandelion control for fall and spring rosettes less than 15 cm in diameter. It has also been registered for use with Axial as a tank mix partner. Growers also no longer need to add surfactant to their tank when using Refine […] Read more
Weanling slaughter planned for Manitoba
Manitoba hog producers are working on a plan for a mass cull of weanling pigs that are abruptly without a market in the United States. Manitoba ships up to four million weanlings a year to the U.S., but buyers there are said to be walking away from contracts because of concerns over impending country of […] Read more
FAO sounds alarm on food supplies
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is sounding the alarm over food supplies and prices in several countries. The cereal import bill of the world’s poorest countries is forecast to rise by 56 per cent in 2007/2008. This comes after a significant increase of 37 per cent in 2006/2007, FAO said in a […] Read more
Animal cruelty bill passes
Parliament has approved a private member’s bill to update Canada’s animal cruelty laws. The bill had previously been introduced by Liberal Senator John Bryden and passed in the Senate, so now needs only royal assent to become law. The main feature of the bill is stiffer penalties than under the current law, which dates to […] Read more
AFBF urges help for U.S. pork producers
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the largest farm organization in the U.S., has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy more pork to help boost prices. The purchases would be made under Section 32, a permanent appropriation USDA uses to support non-farm program commodities such as beef and pork. The food is used […] Read more
New president for ICE Futures Canada
IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) has announced that Brad Vannan has been appointed president and chief operating officer of ICE Futures Canada, formerly the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange. He succeeds Will Hill, who recently stepped down. Vannan is a 23-year veteran with experience in the global agricultural markets. He most recently held the position of vice-president at Agricore United, […] Read more
Few surprises for farmers in Man. budget
A pledge to fund sustainable farming practices is among little new for farmers in Manitoba’s provincial budget Wednesday. Finance Minister Greg Selinger referred to “a multi-year funding plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting sustainable farm practices, trucking technologies, active transport initiatives and green heating technologies,” but a dollar figure and specifics weren’t yet […] Read more
CWB replaces DPCs with no-tonnage limit program
The Canadian Wheat Board plans to replace its daily price contract (DPC) pilot program with a new, no-tonnage limit producer payment option (PPO) for the 2008-09 season. The new PPO — still being developed in consultation with farmers, the board said — will not have the same restrictions on tonnage commitment and time frame as […] Read more
Sask. launches crop insurance review
A review of Saskatchewan’s provincial crop insurance program is officially underway, the provincial government announced Wednesday. “I said during our budget announcement that we need to fix programs so they work for farmers instead of providing band-aid solutions,” provincial Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud said in a release. Business consultancy firm Meyers Norris Penny has been […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
