Reading Time: 3 minutes This holiday season Melodie Chan wants producers to avoid what she calls the “spiral of silence,” which can happen around the dinner table, over beers or even in the gentle lull between turkey and pie if farmers don’t speak up when they hear misinformation about agriculture. “What are we afraid of?” asked Chan, speaking at […] Read more
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White Revolution 2.0
While Canada and the U.S. clash over NAFTA, Cargill, Nestlé and other global dairy giants are pumping their money into India
Reading Time: 7 minutes India is the world’s largest dairy producer, thanks to the “White Revolution” that it launched shortly after the country’s independence in 1947, when it first gave itself the goal of replacing dairy imports and promoting self-sufficiency. Now, the country has embarked on a White Revolution 2.0 that will keep its borders closed to imports of […] Read more
Dairy support prices stand pat for 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Dairy Commission plans to hold the line on the support levels used to price industrial milk in Canada next year, despite a “small reduction” in the cost of milk production. The commission announced Friday it would maintain the per-kilogram support prices it sets for butter and skim milk powder at $8.0062 and $4.5302 […] Read more
Ontario to back baby formula plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes A baby formula plant proposed for eastern Ontario has got a major boost from the Ontario government. The $225 million plant is being built at Kingston by Canada Royal Milk ULC, a subsidiary of Chinese company Feihe International. The Ontario government has committed up to $24 million to the project, which will export baby formula […] Read more
Dairy services organizations create partnership
Reading Time: 3 minutes Three major service providers in Canadian dairy farming have formed a partnership that will result in one company supplying herd management and genetic services to Canadian dairy farmers. The partnership, including CanWest DHI, Valacta and the Canadian Dairy Network (CDN), still has to be approved by farmer-members of the organizations. CanWest DHI provides on-farm testing […] Read more
Saputo woos Australia farmers in Murray Goulburn rebuild
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Saputo, one of Canada’s largest dairy producers, aims to return Australia’s Murray Goulburn Co-operative to profit by aggressively pursuing more of the country’s milk supply, its CEO said on Thursday. The Montreal-based company agreed last week to buy the co-operative for C$1.3 billion including debt, and has already planned 15 meetings […] Read more
Saputo to buy Australian dairy co-op Murray Goulburn
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Murray Goulburn Co-operative, Australia’s largest milk processor, on Friday said it agreed to a buyout from Canadian dairy company Saputo worth up to A$637.8 million (C$627.5 million). Murray Goulburn (MG) said Saputo would pay between A$1.10-$1.15 per share, compared to its A$2.10 issue price when it listed in 2015. A total buyout value […] Read more
Dairy co-op Gay Lea buys Calgary cheesemaker
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario dairy farmer co-operative Gay Lea Foods’ plans for expansion into Western Canada now include Calgary cheesemaker Alberta Cheese Company. Gay Lea announced Monday it has bought the family-owned processor, effective Friday (Oct. 13), for an undisclosed sum. Set up in 1976 by cheesemaker Frank Talarico, Alberta Cheese makes “traditional” Italian cheeses for sale under […] Read more
NAFTA negotiators trade barbs, agree on extension
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — Trade negotiators from the U.S. and Canada accused each other of sabotaging attempts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement on Tuesday, even as they and Mexico agreed to extend talks into 2018. A round of talks in Washington that lasted seven days failed to find the most basic common […] Read more
Butter stocks drive eastern dairy quota increase
Reading Time: < 1 minute Increasing demand for dairy products — including a need to build butter stock — has meant a one per cent increasing in saleable dairy quota, and incentive days from November to March 2018, for eastern Canadian dairy farmers. The P5 dairy farm boards, representing Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, announced […] Read more