Growth in Quebec’s food industry isn’t keeping pace with the growth rate in the province’s overall gross domestic product, according to a 2007 food sector profile released Friday by the provincial ag ministry. Gross domestic production in the food sector reached $15.9 billion in 2006, for a growth rate of 3.5 per cent in the […] Read more
Quebec’s food sector growth rate below GDP’s
Durum up $31/T in CWB PRO
Milling durum values are up $31 per tonne in the Canadian Wheat Board’s latest 2007-08 pool return outlook (PRO) on “increasing uncertainty” of new-crop supplies. Wheat values, meanwhile, rose another $10 to $30 per tonne in the new PRO, released Thursday, as designated barley values remained flat and Pool B feed barley values dropped $7 […] Read more
Vegreville biodiesel plant takes step forward
B.C. biofuel maker BioStreet Canada has made a “huge leap forward” on its planned biodiesel facility at Vegreville, Alta., by choosing its project engineer. “We’re pleased to be moving forward with some momentum now,” said Darrell Michaels, president of the Kelowna company, in a release Wednesday. The company has hired Trimark Engineering of Lethbridge for […] Read more
Seed more durum, pasta makers urge farmers
Saying they haven’t seen the price of durum wheat rise like this in 40 years, the Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association is urging Prairie farmers to seed more durum in 2008. The association, in a release Wednesday, described how the hard costs of making pasta have risen dramatically under a “perfect storm” of agricultural conditions. “In […] Read more
Barley group calls rally Fri. for reform
Farm groups are turning their attention from the courts back to the Commons on the issue of Prairie barley marketing. In news releases Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board and Western Barley Growers Association reacted briefly to Tuesday’s court ruling against the federal government’s plans to deregulate barley marketing by […] Read more
Vineland centre names science advisory panel
Ontario’s Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has tapped horticulture experts worldwide for a new science advisory committee to help co-ordinate its research on horticulture and ornamental crops. The non-profit Niagara-region centre, in the midst of reworking itself as an international hub for horticultural research, said Wednesday that its new committee is now holding its first […] Read more
Agrium extends UAP offer, again
Fertilizer maker and input retailer Agrium has again extended its offer to buy UAP, a major North American input retailer, while its proposal awaits approval from U.S. antitrust regulators. The offer, which was previously set to expire at midnight on Monday, will now be open until midnight (ET) March 14. A waiting period under the […] Read more
Feds’ budget “light” on ag growth: CFA
Tuesday’s federal budget contains some welcome measures for farmers but no commitment to promote investment and growth in the ag sector, according to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. The CFA, in the midst of its annual general meeting this week in Ottawa, said late Tuesday that the budget, on top of its reaffirmation of aid […] Read more
Court rejects government’s appeal on CWB
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, when asked Monday to comment on Tuesday’s court date for Ottawa’s bid to deregulate Prairie barley marketing, had said “it’s just one sleep away — it’s sort of like Christmas.” A three-member panel of judges from the Federal Court of Appeal handed Ritz a proverbial lump of coal Tuesday in Winnipeg, […] Read more
Tuesday’s budget cites Monday’s ag pledges
If farmers get a sense of deja vu from Tuesday’s federal budget, they won’t have to think back very far. The $72 million in new farm program spending cited in Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget goes to cover Monday’s announcement of proposed legislative changes to the federal advance payments program ($22.1 million in 2008-09) and […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
