Reading Time: 2 minutes Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s comments on the listeriosis outbreak have the federal Liberals again calling for his resignation, this time over “inappropriate and insensitive” wisecracks on a conference call. Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter cited a Canadian Press report Wednesday that quoted Ritz on an Aug. 30 call with staff from the federal agriculture and […] Read more
Ritz’s listeria cracks should cost job: Grits
Maple Leaf reopens deep-cleaned Toronto plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes Following six “intensive sanitizations” to wipe out any trace of listeria, Maple Leaf Foods is restarting production at its Bartor Road meat processing plant in Toronto. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Wednesday it has allowed Maple Leaf to start “limited production” so it can assess and verify the new processes put in place […] Read more
Community elevator burns in Sask.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grain growers near the northern Saskatchewan town of Cudworth lost a local shipping point Tuesday as the community’s elevator burned to the ground, Saskatoon’s StarPhoenix newspaper reports. The newspaper, on its web site Tuesday, said a fire broke out near the top of the 75-year-old former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator at about 9:30 a.m. Firefighters […] Read more
DuPont names new Canadian ag chem chief
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian wing of chemical company DuPont has named Priscila Vansetti as its new business director for DuPont Crop Protection Canada. Vansetti’s appointment is effective Aug. 1, putting her in charge of DuPont Canada’s crop protection business and making her a member of DuPont Canada’s “Leadership Team,” which is responsible for developing “synergies” across DuPont’s […] Read more
Corn ethanol will cost Ont. economy: report
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario’s economy can expect to take a bath of around $150 million annually from the development of its corn ethanol sector, the George Morris Centre warns in a new report. The Guelph-based ag think tank said in a report Tuesday that a $150 million net cost to the economy will be borne mostly by the […] Read more
Viterra to build new Peace-area terminal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grain handler Viterra plans to spend $24 million building a high-throughput terminal to meet rising demand in northern Alberta’s grain-growing Peace River region. The concrete-and-steel terminal on the CN rail line at Sexsmith, about 18 km north of Grande Prairie, will feature 30,000 tonnes of grain storage capacity and capability to load 104 railcars. “The […] Read more
Sask., Man. farmers catch break in weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Grain growers in much of farming Manitoba and Saskatchewan were able to get harvest back on track last week as weather conditions improved, the two provinces said in their weekly crop reports. About 39 per cent of Saskatchewan’s crop had been harvested overall as of Sunday, up from 22 per cent the previous week, the […] Read more
Viterra head office workers take deal
Reading Time: 2 minutes Striking workers at the head office of Canada’s biggest grain company will be back at work Sept. 22 after agreeing to what Viterra called its “last, best and final” contract offer. And workers at the company’s Saskatchewan grain elevators, all of whom were back on the job last week after talks resumed between Viterra and […] Read more
Maritime cattlemen short on feed, call for help
Reading Time: < 1 minute The leaders of the three beef industry boards in Atlantic Canada are calling on their provinces’ ag ministers to support “solutions” to a looming feed crisis. The three boards said in a joint release Monday that a “very serious” feed shortage is evolving due to heavy rainfall in many regions of the Maritimes over the […] Read more
Safflower-based insulin OK for human trials
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Calgary biotech company using modified safflowers to make insulin for diabetes treatments has clearance from U.S. regulators to take its product to human clinical trials. SemBioSys Genetics announced Tuesday that it’s now eligible to go ahead with its planned Phase I/II human clinical trial of plant-produced insulin, since the 30-day review period of its […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
