The provincial government’s move Monday to halt any further development of the hog sector in much of eastern Manitoba doesn’t go far enough, according to a coalition of groups advocating smaller-scale farming. In a press conference Wednesday in Winnipeg, representatives of groups including HogWatch Manitoba and Beyond Factory Farming called for the provincial government to […] Read more
Man. green groups rip hog review
Kickstart application deadline extended
Farmers’ deadline to apply for a share of $600 million in federal “Kickstart” funding for the new AgriInvest program has been extended from March 31 to April 14. “This extension will ensure farmers have enough time to learn about AgriInvest and the money available to kickstart their accounts,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a […] Read more
Nova Scotia pledges $1.9M for cattle sector
Nova Scotia’s government plans a $1.9 million round of direct payments to the province’s cattle producers. The provincial agriculture department said in a release Wednesday that it will flow the funding directly to producers through its programs and business risk management division. Details will be provided next week, the department said. “The department identified short-term […] Read more
Quebec hog sector report overdue
Quebec’s hog sector is waiting on a report the province commissioned for a March 3 deadline, on ways to revive the industry. Guy Coulombe, a longtime provincial civil servant, was appointed in September by Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard to enter into talks between principal players in the hog production and pork processing sectors and file […] Read more
Ont. ag traceback agency chooses “key”
GS1 Canada, a non-profit agency that maintains global standards for identifying goods and locations, will register Ontario farmers in a project with OnTrace, the provincial food traceability agency, to allow buyers to track food back to its home farm. GS1 will work with OnTrace to give Ontario farmers access to the GS1 global location number […] Read more
Arbitration could cost farmers “tens of millions”: CWB
A proposed federal bill that would compel the Canadian Wheat Board into arbitration over its grain handling agreements could cost farmers “tens of millions” of dollars per year, the CWB said Tuesday. “This legislation would essentially take money from farmers and hand it over to the grain companies,” said CWB chief operating officer Ward Weisensel […] Read more
Ont. livestock, horticulture payments in mail
Ontario’s Agricorp has begun mailing cheques from the province’s $130 million aid program for cattle, hog and horticulture producers, the agency announced Tuesday. Cheques went into the mail starting Feb. 29 and should begin to arrive in producers’ mailboxes this week, the agency said. Agricorp is the provincial agency that delivers risk management funding and […] Read more
Quebec funds ornamental moss producer
A Quebec horticulture company plans to use a small provincial boost to bring ornamental moss to the Canadian market. Megantic-Compton MNA Johanne Gonthier on Tuesday announced cash aid of $24,000 to Bryophyta Technologies of Lambton, northeast of Sherbrooke, for market development for moss products to be sold in mat form. The company will combine moss […] Read more
Pioneer to sell canola via DuPont dealers
Independent and co-op retailers who sell DuPont Canada’s ag chemicals in Western Canada can add some exclusive Pioneer Hi-Bred canolas to their product lines starting this fall. Pioneer Hi-Bred, which is owned by DuPont, announced the new agreement with its parent’s Canadian wing Tuesday, saying it has more new canolas in its pipeline than its […] Read more
Smucker buys Europe’s Best
Montreal frozen-fruit company Europe’s Best has reached a deal to sell itself to U.S. jam giant J.M. Smucker. Smucker, the Ohio-based owner of well-known U.S. brands such as Crisco and Pillsbury, has expanded into Canada in recent years by buying brands such as Robin Hood, Bick’s, Carnation and Five Roses. Terms of the deal weren’t […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
