Reading Time: 7 minutes “Sometimes, progress simply isn’t possible without change,” says Ken Lewis, general manager of Lewis Farms in Spruce Grove, just west of Edmonton, Alta. Which means that ignoring opportunities to change, or actively resisting change when it arrives can actually be the paths of greatest risk. Because change will happen. In fact, like other farmers, Lewis […] Read more
Diversification the name of the game for Lewis Farms
Change Makers: From potatoes to grain to a commercial bull business, Lewis Farms has diversified to manage risk and accommodate market challenges
Canadian potato industry on the upswing
A weaker loonie and promotion of potatoes prepared in more healthy ways are improving prospects for growers and processors
Reading Time: 6 minutes After several years of challenging times, the Canadian processing potato industry is feeling a lift, in part due to a lower loonie. It’s stimulated exports of french fries and other processed products as well as fresh potatoes to the United States and other markets, and for the first time in years some processing plants in […] Read more
Tim Hortons to enter Mexican market
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Restaurant Brands International said it would launch its coffee and doughnut chain, Tim Hortons, in Mexico as a part of its expansion plans. The company said it would form a master franchise joint venture with a group of investors, whom they did not name, to launch the brand. The joint venture company will […] Read more
McDonald’s, A+W roll out all-day breakfast for Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Burger chains McDonald’s and A+W expect to dial up their demand for Canadian eggs as they offer all-day breakfasts alongside their beef and chicken wares across the country, starting next month. Toronto-based A+W announced Thursday it would be “the first national burger chain to offer all-day breakfast at its restaurants” coast-to-coast starting Feb. 27, after […] Read more
Quebec agriculture minister temporarily sidelined
Reading Time: < 1 minute Quebec’s agriculture minister Pierre Paradis is off work temporarily with what’s reported to be a concussion. Premier Philippe Couillard announced Wednesday that Paradis’ responsibilities as minister of agriculture, food and fisheries would temporarily go to Transport Minister Laurent Lessard. News outlets in Quebec including Radio Canada, La Presse and TVA reported Wednesday that Paradis had […] Read more
Australia, New Zealand pledge to salvage TPP
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Australia hopes to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by encouraging China and other Asian nations into the agreement in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull his country out of the pact, its trade minister said on Tuesday. New Zealand’s trade minister said ministers from the remaining TPP countries would […] Read more
EU-Canada trade deal clears further hurdles in Europe
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — A planned EU-Canada free trade deal received backing from a committee of the European Parliament and Germany’s top court on Thursday, increasing its chances of entering force later this year. The European Union and Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in October, but only after opposition from a […] Read more
Protectionism game comes with raised economic stakes: Frum
Reading Time: 3 minutes As U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration day approaches, the business world is pondering how the new administration might affect the world economy. Trump’s pride in his unpredictability is troubling, given he’s the president-elect, said David Frum, political commentator, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, and a senior editor for Washington-based magazine The Atlantic. However, […] Read more
Trudeau to shuffle Dion out of foreign affairs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters –– Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet this week and is set to move Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, who ran into political trouble last year, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. “Dion is out,” said the person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of […] Read more
Fungicide cleared to curb verticillium wilt in potatoes
Reading Time: 2 minutes A label expansion for Syngenta’s Aprovia fungicide, to cover additional soil-borne potato diseases, makes it the first fungicide in Canada approved to suppress verticillium wilt in potatoes. Fumigants have been potato growers’ only option against the crop disease until now, Eric Phillips, Syngenta Canada’s fungicides and insecticides product lead, said in a release Thursday. Verticillium […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
