CNS Canada -- Farmers in Alberta haven't been able to make much harvest progress recently, as rainfall and cool weather have prevented them from getting into the fields over the past week. Almost half an inch of rain fell in some areas on Friday (Sept. 26), followed by some nicer weather on the weekend, said[...]
Soy industry group taps Canola Council exec as chief
Canada's new national soy industry body has gone to Canada's other national oilseed industry body for its new chief executive. Soy Canada, which set up shop last month in Ottawa as a new Canada-wide organization representing the soybean value chain, on Monday appointed Jim Everson, vice-president of government relations for the Canola Council of Canada,[...]
Winter comes early to Alta., crop downgrades likely
CNS Canada -- There may technically still be two more weeks of summer on the calendar, but winter weather has hit Alberta already and is raising quality concerns for unharvested crops in the province. Widespread snowfall and temperatures near the freezing mark were being reported Monday across the province. The winter weather is expected to[...]
California plan for water tunnels violates environmental rules: EPA
Reuters -- A California plan to bore two massive water tunnels under the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta hit a barrier this week when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the plan could violate the federal Clean Water Act and further degrade the delta's ecosystem. The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for[...]
Lawmakers in drought-hit California agree on water plan
Sacramento | Reuters -- California Governor Jerry Brown approved on Wednesday a US$7.6 billion plan to improve water supplies in the drought-stricken state that will be put before voters in November, ending a year of political wrangling over the measure. California is in the throes of a devastating multi-year drought that is expected to cost[...]
Ont. Tories' former ag critic returns to post
Ontario's provincial Progressive Conservatives have brought back a former agriculture critic in a shuffle of their shadow cabinet as the legislature returns to work. Toby Barrett, the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk since 1995 and Tory ag critic from 2005 to early 2008, has been renamed as critic for agriculture, food and rural affairs, replacing Oxford MPP[...]
Peace River area expected to produce below-average crop
CNS Canada -- The Peace River region in northern Alberta is expected to produce a below-average crop this year because of dry weather in the area, according to a crop specialist. The soil is in need of some moisture in the area, especially in mid-July, as it is a crucial period for crop development, Harry Brook,[...]
Seeding nearing completion in Alberta
CNS Canada -- Seeding in Alberta is nearing completion, with about 90 per cent of the crop reported in the ground as of Friday, despite the southern part of the province starting about two weeks later than normal. "Although it was a late start to the year, we had really good conditions for people to[...]
Ontario voters return ag incumbents in Wynne's win
Ontario's incumbent agriculture minister and her opposition critics are all headed back to Queen's Park as voters gave Premier Kathleen Wynne's Liberals a new majority mandate Thursday night. Wynne, who pledged during her campaign for the Liberal leadership in 2012 to name herself as minister of agriculture for at least a year, won 59 of[...]
PEDv re-infects U.S. farm, fuels supply fears
Chicago | Reuters -- An Indiana farm has become the first to confirm publicly it suffered a second outbreak of a deadly pig virus, fueling concerns that a disease that has wiped out 10 per cent of the U.S. hog population will be harder to contain than producers and veterinarians expected. The farm, through its[...]
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
