Sask. Food Centre’s new extruder funded

Reading Time: < 1 minute Equipment to pull new ingredients out of crops for the food and manufacturing sectors will be set up at the Saskatchewan Food Centre. Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost announced almost $800,000 in funding Tuesday in Saskatoon, where the centre is based at the University of Saskatchewan, for investment in extruder equipment. Extrusion is used to extract […] Read more

Yukon to broaden animal protection powers

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Yukon government wants public input on plans to update its animal protection laws and expand the powers available to its protection officers. The territorial government on Monday released a discussion document in advance of a series of public consultations during April and May. Proposed amendments to the territory’s Animal Protection Act include: requiring owners […] Read more


Seeding underway in southern Sask., Man.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers in drier southern areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have already put some crop in the ground, according to their provincial ag departments. Peas, barley, lentils and wheat were seeded during the past week in the southern regions of Saskatchewan, while most northern and central areas are still two to three weeks away from seeding, […] Read more

Manitoba’s Kyoto plan eyes local, organic food

Reading Time: < 1 minute Funding for “local food” programs and conversions to organic farming are on Manitoba’s list of projects to reach its proposed Kyoto target by 2012. The province’s Kyoto action plan, outlined Monday, proposes $145 million in funding for a number of projects such as geothermal heating and cooling systems for new schools, rapid transit and an […] Read more


Viterra to raise $400M, go shopping

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s biggest grain handler plans a share sale worth an expected $400.4 million, partly to finance “future acquisitions.” Viterra said Monday it will sell 28.6 million common shares at $14 a share to an underwriters’ syndicate led by TD Securities and Genuity Capital Markets, with an option for another 4.29 million shares at the same […] Read more

Atlantic Beef cuts weekly slaughter: CBC

Reading Time: < 1 minute About 30 workers at Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Beef Products have been laid off as the plant cuts back its weekly slaughter, CBC reported Friday. The weekly slaughter has been reduced to 280 head, down from over 400, as a cost-control measure, CBC said, noting that the plant has recently been losing about $250,000 a […] Read more


CN takes slight drop in Q1 net

Reading Time: < 1 minute A 10 per cent rise in grain freight revenue over 2007 levels helped offset Canadian National Railway’s (CN) first-quarter costs from the rising loonie, poor winter weather, reorganization and a conductors’ strike. The railway on Monday posted net income of $311 million on $1.93 billion in revenue for its Q1 ending March 31, down from […] Read more

Public partners back Que. organic packer

Reading Time: < 1 minute Capital Financiere agricole, the investment branch of Quebec’s provincial ag lending agency, plans to invest $300,000 in a new organic meat plant. Viandes biologiques de Charlevoix, which raises and markets hogs and chicken and produces organic meat at Baie-St-Paul, about 90 km northeast of Quebec City, plans to build a 6,300-square foot plant to Eco-Cert […] Read more


New mode of bug-killing action registered

Reading Time: < 1 minute Coragen and Altacor, two new insecticides for the potato and fruit markets, have picked up federal registration for their shared new chemistry. The two products, both owned by DuPont Canada, use the company’s Rynaxypyr chemistry, which the company said is the only active ingredient from the Anthranilic diamide class of insecticides and offers a “breakthrough” […] Read more

Sask. to process cull pork for food banks

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Saskatchewan government will pay up to $440,000 to process animals from the federal cull breeding swine program and donate the pork to food banks throughout the province. Sask Pork, the province’s pork industry development board, will administer the funding and co-ordinate the processing of sows with hog farmers and processors, then handle distribution to […] Read more