Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — The United States on Monday launched the first salvo in the renegotiation of the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying its top priority for the talks was shrinking the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico. In a much-anticipated document sent to lawmakers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said […] Read more
U.S. makes lower trade deficit priority in NAFTA talks
Pearce: Heavy rains cause losses in Ontario potato fields
Reading Time: 3 minutes After a month of good growing conditions and positive reports amid sporadic news on disease potential, word from one of Ontario’s potato-growing regions is that roughly 1,000 acres of potatoes have been lost due to flooding. Drenching rains in midwestern Ontario have left both commercial fields and variety plots ruined. Rainfall amounts from June 22 […] Read more
Pearce: Tests negative, weather positive for late blight in Ont. potatoes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Aside from concerns regarding drier conditions in different potato-growing regions of Ontario, some growers are testing for late blight. Spore traps near Delhi came back negative recently — but did indicate an increase at the end of the experiment. Eugenia Banks, a consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, stated such a “signal” might indicate an […] Read more
Maritime potato harvest a pleasant surprise
Late-season rains gave the crop a lift, but access to irrigation remains a concern for Island growers
Reading Time: 4 minutes The 2016 harvest in the country’s largest potato-producing province proved to be a pleasant surprise. By mid-August, many growers in Prince Edward Island were starting to brace for a below-average harvest. A dry summer saw much of the crop, especially in the central part of the province, slow to size up and problems with both […] Read more
Pearce: Rain expected to stall Ontario potato planting progress
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rainfall expected for much of southern Ontario is expected to narrow what’s been a relatively early planting window for Ontario’s potato growers. Two weeks ago, the reports from the Ontario Potato Board were full of warm temperatures and dry soils, and growers, particularly around Leamington and Delhi, took full advantage. One farmer in the Delhi […] Read more
Kraft Heinz profits miss on weak demand in Canada, U.S.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Kraft Heinz, North America’s third-largest food and beverage company, reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit and sales, hurt by weak demand in the U.S. and Canada. Shares of the company, which owns brands such as Velveeta cheese and Heinz ketchup, were down nearly three per cent at $86.75 in after-hours trading on Wednesday (all figures […] Read more
Weather, ‘economic challenges’ drag on A+W sales
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian burger chain A+W cites “poor winter weather” in most regions and “economic challenges” in its Alberta and Saskatchewan markets for flat sales in its first quarter. The Vancouver-based burger and root beer chain on Tuesday booked total sales of $245.16 million for the quarter ending March 26, up 0.6 per cent from $243.8 million […] Read more
Be kind to your insect friends
Of the thousands of insect species around your fields, only a few damage crops. Here’s a guide to identifying and protecting the good bugs that eat the bad ones
Reading Time: 2 minutes It can be worrying to see insects crawling over your nicely developing crop, but are they doing any damage? And even if they are, before ordering the insecticide, will spraying kill the good bugs that are already at work controlling the bad ones, not to mention other insects that are important for pollination? While killing […] Read more
PHOTOS: A guide to beneficial insects
Reading Time: < 1 minute There are thousands of insect species in the fields across Canada. But how can you tell which are the beneficial insects and which bugs are trouble? Here’s a quick guide to help you identify and protect the good bugs that prey on the bad ones. This guide is also available on the Manitoba Agriculture website at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture […] Read more
Pesticide review a huge issue for horticulture sector
Time of worker re-entry after application and use of protective equipment are stumbling blocks
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s horticultural growers say they’re concerned about a review of many of the broad-spectrum crop protection chemistries they’ve relied on for years. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is conducting the review, with a final outcome due in 2018. That gives growers and other industry stakeholders the rest of 2017 to strengthen their arguments and […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
