Versatile expands into toyland

Winnipeg tractor maker Versatile has expanded its product line into the smallest of small-scale equipment. The company on Thursday announced a new line of scale-model toys developed by Tokyo toy manufacturer Tomy and Iowa-based Ertl, which already makes licensed die-cast scale models of John Deere, Case IH and New Holland farm equipment. Come April, the […] Read more



Iogen to shed processing enzyme business

Ottawa biotech firm Iogen Corp. plans to tighten its focus on cellulosic ethanol by shedding its other business, making and selling enzymes for brewers, grain processors, feed millers and other industries. Danish industrial enzyme maker Novozymes plans to buy Iogen’s industrial enzyme business, Iogen Bio-Products, for $67.5 million plus up to $12.5 million in "earn-out" […] Read more



National dairy farm biosecurity standard launched

Canada’s food safety agency has formally introduced its biosecurity standard designed specifically for the Canadian dairy farm. Launched Tuesday, the voluntary biosecurity standard maps out dairy farmers’ "control areas" and target outcomes in the areas of animal health management, animal movement, premises management and conditions for workers, visitors, vehicles and equipment. The standard, designed to […] Read more


Scoular buying into Prairie grain handling

Omaha’s Scoular Co. plans to bankroll and operate a new grain handling facility in Saskatchewan’s southeast corner for quick access to U.S. and Mexican processors. Scoular was announced Tuesday as the funding partner, owner and operator for the grain handling portion of a new, $90 million commodity logistics hub to be built on the North […] Read more

CN settles out of court with CP over ex-CEO

A court case pitting Canada’s two major railways against each other over CP’s hiring of a former CN CEO has been settled — just as another CN executive jumps to join him. CN (Canadian National Railway) on Monday announced it has "settled its differences" with CP (Canadian Pacific Railway) and with CP’s new CEO Hunter […] Read more


CP’s 2012 grain handle down, grain revenue up

Canadian Pacific Railway has booked a solid increase in its 2012 year-end gross from hauling Prairie grain — despite a marked drop in its grain handle. The railway’s year-end and fourth-quarter (Q4) financials, released Tuesday, show the costs involved in what the Calgary company describes as a "transformational journey to become the most efficient railroad […] Read more

Canada’s farm fatality rate seen declining

Newly-gathered data on work-related farm deaths in Canada over an 18-year span shows a marked drop in such deaths after the turn of the millennium, suggesting a "greater commitment" to managing safety risks. A report from Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR), documenting farm fatalities from 1990 to 2008, puts the average number of such cases […] Read more