Fruit/Vegetables, Agriculture News & Resources

Kraft Heinz backed for ketchup production in Montreal

Company to add ketchup line at Mont Royal site

By Dave Bedard 5 days ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes A $23.3 million expansion of Kraft Heinz’s food manufacturing complex in Montreal will see the company resume making Heinz ketchup for Canada, in Canada. The U.S.-based food processing giant and the Quebec government on Nov. 17 announced the expansion plan for the company’s Mont Royal plant, which today makes products such as KD Mac + […] Read more

Crops, Potatoes

P.E.I. seed potato growers backed for lost sales, costs

Pandemic compensation plan to take applications until mid-January

By Dave Bedard November 11, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Seed potato growers on Prince Edward Island who lost sales this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or have had to store or throw out stock, can soon apply for provincial compensation. The provincial government on Monday announced $1.19 million for a new Seed Potato Recovery Program, for seed growers “who can demonstrate that they […] Read more

Fruit/Vegetables, Guide Business

Horticultural industry bowed, not broken by COVID-19

Industry needs to examine where it sources labour, both domestically and internationally, says chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

By Lois Harris November 2, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes Despite extraordinarily difficult issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill George is optimistic about the future of the Canadian horticultural sector. “I’m very proud of how producers have risen to the challenges,” he says. “They always will find a way to get things done.” George is the chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Reuters

Syngenta buys biologics group Valagro

By Reuters/Staff October 6, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute Zurich | Reuters — Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemicals giant owned by ChemChina, has acquired Italian biologicals group Valagro, a company with US$175 million in 2019 sales that uses natural solutions to fight pests and diseases and to improve crops. Syngenta said in a statement Tuesday the acquisition positioned its crop protection business as a key […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables

Canada adds step on U.S. romaine lettuce imports

E. coli testing to be required on Salinas Valley romaine

By Dave Bedard October 3, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian importers of U.S.-grown romaine lettuce will now face an extra step that’s expected to help prevent another outbreak of romaine-related illnesses due to E. coli. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it will begin next week to require importers to provide proof that their U.S.-grown romaine didn’t come from certain California counties. Otherwise, […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Grapes, Reuters, Weather

Charred U.S. west’s ‘wet ashtray’ wine grapes left to birds

By Karl Plume September 23, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — Heavy ground smoke clouded Hanson Vineyards in Oregon’s picturesque Willamette Valley for more than a week following a Labour Day windstorm that kicked up wildfires across the western United States. Jason Hanson expects his crews may only harvest five tons of grapes, including his Chardonnay and Gamay varieties, down from the 25 to […] Read more

Crops, Grapes, Reuters, Weather

‘Lightning siege’ sparks wildfires across California wine country

Almost 11,000 strikes reported over 72 hours

By Steven Lam August 20, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Vacaville, California | Reuters — Lightning strikes sparked dozens of wildfires in northern California’s wine country on Wednesday, burning dozens of structures and forcing thousands to flee their homes. California was hit by nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours, sparking 367 fires, nearly two dozen of them major, as the state suffered a record […] Read more

Fruit/Vegetables, Livestock, Markets

Feds line up projects for surplus food program

NGOs backed to gather, distribute 12 million kg of food

By Dave Bedard August 14, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal government has lined up eight projects to source and distribute perishable produce, meat, eggs and seafood piling up across Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the federal pandemic response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in early May that Ottawa would budget $50 million for a food surplus purchase program. The […] Read more

Fruit/Vegetables, General

Feds put up $58.6 M for temporary foreign worker supports

By D.C. Fraser July 31, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The federal government is announcing $58.6 million in new money to further support temporary foreign workers in Canada’s agricultural sector, it was announced July 31. Spending is expected to focus on health and safety of temporary foreign workers in Canada. Farmers will be eligible to access $35 million, administrated through Agriculture and […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables

Wendy’s secures Canadian greenhouse lettuce supply

Alberta grower to provide sandwich, salad lettuce nationwide

By Dave Bedard July 24, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian wing of U.S. burger chain Wendy’s is going strictly indoors, in southern Alberta, to supply all the lettuce for its salad, burger and chicken sandwich offerings across the country. Whole Leaf, based outside Coaldale, about 20 km east of Lethbridge, was announced last week as the lettuce supplier for the chain’s 384 stores […] Read more

Suspended pulse crop handlers partly reinstated

Klassen: Feeder market stabilizes on demand hopes

Seasonal forecast calls for more snow

GFM Network News