N.L. Tories win majority, lose ag minister

Reading Time: 2 minutes The minister in charge of Newfoundland and Labrador’s agrifoods agency has wound up unemployed in the governing Tories’ march to a third majority provincial government in a row. Shawn Skinner, the MHA for St. John’s Centre and the provincial minister of natural resources since December last year, lost his seat Tuesday night to the NDP’s […] Read more

Boston Pizza drafts smaller stores for smaller markets

Reading Time: 2 minutes One of Canada’s biggest casual restaurant brands is warming up expansion plans for smaller cities and rural communities with the launch of a smaller-store prototype. Boston Pizza International’s new smaller-scale store design, at about 4,100 square feet, is expected to make it “more affordable than ever to own a Boston Pizza franchise,” the company said […] Read more


Sask. general farm group’s president resigns

Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmer Greg Marshall has resigned from his post as president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). In a letter this week to APAS board members and staff, Marshall cited health reasons for his decision, which follows what the organization called a “near-fatal” heart attack he suffered at his home in Regina last week. […] Read more

Meanwhile in Rwanda: Our farmer gives birth to a baby boy

Reading Time: 3 minutes One of the keys to achieving food security in Africa is ensuring its millions of smallholder farmers are able to produce enough food for their families plus a surplus to sell in local markets. To get a better idea of the challenge facing a typical African farm family, we’ve identified one through Farm Radio International, a […] Read more


Target to source dairy, dry groceries via Sobeys

Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. retail giant Target will go shopping at Sobeys for the dairy goods, frozen foods and dry grocery products to be sold at Target stores in Canada starting in early 2013. Sobeys, a national grocery store chain owned by Nova Scotia-based Empire Co., announced a new long-term wholesale distribution deal Friday with Minneapolis-based Target that […] Read more

Farmers’ view of ag careers rosier than public’s: FCC

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian consumers are far less likely than producers to consider or encourage a career in agriculture, Canada’s federal ag lender finds in a new survey. Farm Credit Canada on Wednesday released results of a national survey of an “FCC Vision Panel” convened by polling firm Angus Reid in March. The survey, FCC said, paints a […] Read more


Deere eyes expanding Honda deal to Canada

Reading Time: < 1 minute A marketing deal which will see John Deere dealerships in the U.S. add Honda equipment to their product offerings, starting in 2012, may expand to Canada. Deere and Co. on Tuesday said it will offer all its active U.S. dealerships a sign-up period, starting late this year, to enter agreements to sell the Honda Power […] Read more

Country Guide writers earn national kudos

Reading Time: 2 minutes Pages from one of Canada’s longest-lived farm journals got an added touch of gold and bronze last weekend from Canada’s national organization for ag journalists. Staff and contributors with Country Guide earned two gold and three bronze awards for their work at the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) awards banquet Saturday in Niagara Falls, Ont. […] Read more


Animal and human vaccine centre officially opened in Saskatoon

Reading Time: < 1 minute Premier Brad Wall and University of Saskatchewan (U of S) President Peter MacKinnon officially opened the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the Saskatoon campus Sept. 16. InterVac is part of the U of S Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). A Saskatchcewan government release said InterVac will develop vaccines to protect people and animals from […] Read more

Saskatchewan harvest ahead of normal

Reading Time: < 1 minute Saskatchewan farmers have harvested 60 per cent of the overall 2011 crop as of Sept. 12, moving ahead of the five-year average after a week of favorable weather, the provincial government said on Thursday in a weekly report. * Harvest progress most advanced for this time of year in four years. * Five-year average for […] Read more