Reading Time: < 1 minute The federal Conservatives’ associate critic for agriculture and agri-food has been shuffled into a new post in the opposition’s shadow cabinet. John Barlow, MP for the southwestern Alberta riding of Foothills, was appointed Friday as lead shadow minister for employment, workforce development and labour by party leader Andrew Scheer. In a post on Facebook, Scheer […] Read more
Tories’ junior ag critic promoted in shuffle
Prairie potatoes not expected to hit record yields again
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada – The potato acreage may have increased this year in Western Canada, but it doesn’t look like it will be the same story for yields. “I think overall it’s too early to tell because we haven’t started the main harvest, but we are not expecting as big of yield as the last couple […] Read more
Wendy’s sells stake in Arby’s owner
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Hamburger company Wendy’s Co. ended its decade-old ties with Arby’s as it sold its 12.3 per cent stake in the sandwich chain’s parent for US$450 million on Thursday, giving it a boost as it battles larger rivals McDonald’s and Burger King. Wendy’s will sell its stake to Inspire Brands, owned by Roark Capital, […] Read more
New GM technique promises to speed new crop development
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Scientists in the United States say they have found a new method for inserting genes into crops that could speed up development of new varieties. “Making genetic improvements that were difficult or impossible before will be much easier because we can now insert not just one or two genes, but multiple genes […] Read more
German farmers seek 1 billion euros in drought aid
Reading Time: < 1 minute Hamburg | Reuters – Farmers in Germany need special aid of around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) because of damage to harvests caused by drought and heatwave, the head of German farming association DBV said on Monday. The aid should be paid to farmers who have lost 30 percent and more of their harvests, DBV […] Read more
UPL to buy crop chem firm Arysta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Indian chemical manufacturer UPL has raised the financial backing for an all-cash deal to become what’s expected to be the world’s fifth biggest crop chemical firm. UPL on July 20 announced it will pay $4.2 billion to buy 100 per cent of Arysta LifeScience — the maker of Everest and Inferno herbicides, among other products […] Read more
Tim Hortons to enter China
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — Canadian coffee-and-donut chain Tim Hortons will open 1,500 outlets in China over the next decade, capitalizing on a growing cafe culture in the world’s second-largest economy, the chain’s parent Restaurant Brands International said on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands shares rose almost three per cent after the company announced the Tim Hortons move into China […] Read more
Interview: A taxing time for manufacturers
Ag manufacturers see uncertainty and higher production costs from steel tariffs
Reading Time: 6 minutes The opening salvos in a trade war initiated by the current U.S. administration are already having an impact on all the manufacturing sectors in Canada, the U.S and around the world, most of it negative. For example, it’s been announced that Harley Davidson, that icon of U.S. brands, feels it’s necessary to move some of […] Read more
A+W to launch pulseburger next month
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s second-biggest burger chain plans to roll out a new non-meat burger in the Canadian market starting in July. A+W Food Services of Canada on Thursday announced a July 9 release date for what it’s dubbed the Beyond Meat Burger at all its restaurants across the country, in what CEO Susan Senecal called “the fastest […] Read more
Soup maker Baxters sells Canadian arm
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian business of Scottish soup and condiment maker Baxters Food Group is back in Canadian hands, including private, public and labour-sponsored Quebec investors. Provincial venture capital firm Investissement Quebec and labour-sponsored Fonds de solidarite FTQ and Fondaction announced Tuesday they would each put up $8 million, plus an unspecified amount from investors led by […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
