Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal and Alberta governments are set to cover over $22 million in costs related to the construction of Cavendish Farms’ new potato processing plant at Lethbridge. The two levels of government on Monday announced $20 million for the City of Lethbridge for related municipal infrastructure developments, through the federal/provincial Clean Water and Wastewater Fund […] Read more
Alberta, feds back Lethbridge potato processing plant
Film director Cameron backing Saskatchewan organic pea plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes A major new pulse plant has set up shop southwest of Saskatoon with plans to help back development of pulse-based foods and mentor organic growers — and bringing with it a pair of unusually high-profile investors. Verdient Foods on Monday announced the opening of a pulse food processing plant at Vanscoy, Sask., with plans for […] Read more
UFA to shut down outdoor outfitter business
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers’ co-operative UFA is set to get out of an “increasingly competitive” space in the retail sector by closing its outdoor supply chain Wholesale Sports. The co-operative, which bought what was then a seven-store chain in 2008, announced Thursday it would start inventory liquidation sales Friday at all 12 of its remaining Wholesale Sports […] Read more
Prairie pork industry leader Bill Vaags, 82
Reading Time: 2 minutes UPDATED, Sept. 15 — A memorial service is planned for Sept. 19 in Winnipeg for a prominent Prairie figure in the business of promoting and securing export markets for Canadian pork. Bill Vaags, a pork producer at Dugald, Man. who led the Canadian Pork Council from 1985 to 1990 and chaired Canada Pork International from […] Read more
Prograin head buys into soy processor Ceresco
Reading Time: 2 minutes CORRECTED, Sept. 15, 2017 — A major Quebec processor and exporter of identity-preserved (IP) soybeans for food markets is set to be sold to an investor group including the head of soybean firm Semences Prograin. SG Ceresco, based southwest of Montreal at St-Urbain-Premier, will be sold to a joint venture between Prograin president Alain Letourneau’s […] Read more
Canada’s antitrust watchdog clears Nutrien merger
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s Competition Bureau will put up no reasons why PotashCorp and Agrium shouldn’t be joined in Nutrien. The federal antitrust regulator on Monday issued a “no action” letter on the all-stock merger-of-equals that Saskatoon’s PotashCorp and Calgary’s Agrium proposed in September last year. The two companies, when merged, are to be headquartered in Saskatoon under […] Read more
New investment leads to new chief at Morris
Reading Time: 2 minutes A major cash infusion from a pair of Calgary private investment firms, among others, has put new hands at the helm of farm equipment maker Morris Industries. Morris on Tuesday announced its president, Ben Voss — a Saskatoon engineer and farmer, and one of the players in the new investment group — has also been […] Read more
AgriRecovery in place for farms in B.C. wildfire zones
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers and ranchers whose operations were hit or evacuated during British Columbia’s particularly destructive wildfire season can expect up to $20 million in AgriRecovery funds toward repair, rebuilding and livestock feeding costs. The federal and B.C. governments on Tuesday laid out more details for the 60-40 cost-shared program, which was announced in principle in mid-August. […] Read more
New Brunswick splits agriculture, aquaculture files
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ministerial oversight of agriculture and aquaculture will be split between two cabinet ministers in New Brunswick following a shuffle Tuesday. Premier Brian Gallant on Tuesday named Carleton-Victoria MLA Andrew Harvey as the new minister of agriculture, mines and rural affairs. Saint John-area MLA Rick Doucet, who until now also handled the ag file, remains as […] Read more
Farm groups line up against feds’ tax proposal
Reading Time: 3 minutes National, regional and sector farm groups are forming up with several major business associations on the offensive against a proposal to reform how incorporated businesses are taxed in Canada. The federal finance department tabled a series of proposals July 18, opening them for public comment until Oct. 2 for a proposed effective date of Jan. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
