Alberta’s WRAP names new president

Reading Time: 2 minutes Members of Alberta’s general farm organization have named one of the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board as their new president. At their annual meeting last week in Edmonton, members of Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP) named Lynn Jacobson of Enchant, Alta. as the group’s new chief. Jacobson replaces Camrose farmer Humphrey Banack, who stays […] Read more

USDA to close 249 offices in cost-saving move

Reading Time: 2 minutes The U.S. Agriculture Department plans to close 249 offices this year — half of them the local offices that deal with farmers — in a cost-cutting program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday. USDA says the package will save $150 million a year and help reduce the yawning federal deficit. Vilsack announced the closures in […] Read more


ADM to cut jobs worldwide

Reading Time: 2 minutes Agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland said Wednesday it would reduce its workforce by three per cent, making it the latest agribusiness giant to make cuts in the face of volatile global markets. Chicago-based ADM said it will eliminate about 1,000 positions worldwide "to enhance the cost structure of the company," estimating the cuts and "other […] Read more

Food prices may ease in 2012 but won’t drop: FAO

Reading Time: 2 minutes Prices of some foods may ease slightly in 2012 due to a slowing global economy but are unlikely to drop drastically from the high levels reached last year, the new director-general of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said on Tuesday. Jose Graziano da Silva, the Brazilian who replaced Senegal’s Jacques Diouf at the helm […] Read more


Dry winter on Prairies a worry for cattle, winter wheat

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s Prairie farm belt is the driest it has been in five years, raising concerns for cattle and winter cereals in a region that has been recently more prone to floods. Large pockets of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have received less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation during the past three months, especially northwestern […] Read more

Another step toward resumed access for beef to South Korea

Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast on Dec. 30 announced "a major step" toward restoring access for Canadian beef in South Korea. The announcement follows the South Korean Parliament ratifying the import health requirements (IHRs) for Canadian beef under 30 months of age. The government release said the South Korean Government […] Read more


Mosaic cuts phosphate production

Reading Time: 2 minutes Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. said Dec. 28 it will cut production of phosphate, a key nutrient used for crop production, because prices have fallen to unsustainable levels. The Minnesota-based company said it would cut its planned production of phosphate by 250,000 tonnes over the next three months, blaming economic uncertainty for a drop in prices. […] Read more

Conference explores life after the CWB monopoly

Reading Time: 3 minutes In a post-monopoly world, the Canadian Wheat Board will disappear altogether, or it will become the "eBay" for grain exports by bypassing the grain-handling system with container shipments. Or it will become something in between. It all depends on who was talking at the recent two-day conference here organized by the universities of Saskatchewan, Regina, […] Read more


Specialty crops bidding for acres in 2012

Reading Time: < 1 minute A North Dakota farm management specialist says returns from minor crops such as safflower, buckwheat, mustard, rye and millet may be more competitive this year. "It has been a challenge for buyers of minor crops to ‘bid for acres’ when prices for major crops, such as wheat, corn and soybeans, have been at historically high […] Read more

Farmers going mobile at same rate as others, survey says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s farmers are investing in smartphones and tablets at the same rate as the rest of the population, Farm Credit Canada reports. The federal farm lending agency last week released a survey of its FCC Vision Panel, finding 29 per cent of farmers now own smartphones, compared to 30 per cent for other Canadians. Six […] Read more