Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s in just a pair of fields out of over 280 surveyed in the province last fall, but it’s now Manitoba’s first official glyphosate-resistant weed. It’s kochia, and it’s been found in two fields in the Red River Valley. Agronomists had predicted Manitoba’s first cases would be discovered in the province’s west, because glyphosate-resistant kochia […] Read more
Kochia becomes Manitoba’s first glyphosate-resistant weed
CFIA widens plum pox net in Niagara region
Reading Time: < 1 minute The quarantine area is now slightly larger in southern Ontario’s Niagara region where tender fruit trees are still considered at risk for the yield-robbing plum pox virus. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Tuesday it has expanded its regulated area for plum pox virus by 800 metres. The expansion is in response to a confirmed […] Read more
Letnick re-appointed as B.C. ag minister
Reading Time: 2 minutes Former British Columbia agriculture minister Norm Letnick has been re-appointed to the post, replacing Pat Pimm as the latter recovers from cancer surgery. Letnick, the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country, had served as agriculture minister from 2012 until last May’s provincial election, after which he was dropped from Premier Christy Clark’s cabinet and appointed as parliamentary […] Read more
Federal deputy ag minister retiring, new DM named
Reading Time: < 1 minute One of Canada’s former federal trade negotiators for the North American market is set to become the country’s top agriculture bureaucrat at the end of this month. Andrea Lyon, who from 2009 to 2011 was an associate deputy minister for agriculture and agri-food and has been associate deputy minister of the environment since July 2011, […] Read more
Viterra to boost Vancouver port terminal throughput
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s biggest grain handler plans to take on a $100 million-plus list of “improvements and upgrades” to boost annual throughput at its Pacific Elevators terminal in Vancouver to as much as six million tonnes. “This is a significant investment spanning several projects, that when completed, will enhance our strategic position on the West Coast, and […] Read more
Cargill to boost S. Manitoba grain handling capacity
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cargill’s Canadian arm is set to start work within the next month on capacity expansions at its grain elevator in southern Manitoba’s Red River Valley. The company said Thursday it plans to triple storage capacity and nearly double its rail car spot at its farm service centre on the Canadian National Railway (CN) line at […] Read more
CWB building grain elevator east of Saskatoon
Reading Time: 2 minutes The grain company formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board has picked a site for a second high-throughput Prairie grain elevator, this time in central Saskatchewan. CWB announced Thursday it has started construction of a 42,000-tonne capacity steel facility on Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) track just southeast of Colonsay, about 60 km east of Saskatoon […] Read more
PEDv found in hogs at W. Manitoba site
Reading Time: 2 minutes Veterinary officials in Manitoba are following up with hog farmers who’ve taken animals through an unnamed “high-traffic site” after a “small number” of hogs held there were confirmed positive for porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). In its preliminary investigation, the office of Manitoba’s chief veterinary officer (CVO) finds it likely that the PED-positive pigs picked up […] Read more
Livestock price insurance plan now taking applications
Reading Time: 2 minutes With applications now available, Western Canada’s cattle and hog producers are being encouraged to consider the new federal/provincial livestock price insurance plan as a risk management tool against unexpected price drops. The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP), announced in January, is an insurance policy product offering protection against an unexpected drop in prices of […] Read more
Que. ag minister, ag critics hold seats in PQ loss
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Parti Quebecois’ agriculture minister and his critics in Quebec’s assembly have held their seats in the wake of an election that’s upended the province’s government. Francois Gendron, who’d served as Premier Pauline Marois’ deputy premier and the province’s agriculture, food and fisheries minister since September 2012, held his Abitibi-Ouest riding in Monday night’s election […] Read more