Insights and Stories of Allan Dawson

CROP CHECKUP: Fungicide season has begun

Jun. 6, 2012 at 5:49 pm CDT

Winter wheat is at, or near the stage, for applying fungicides to protect it from various leaf diseases — and spring wheat isn’t far behind. According to Holly Derksen, a plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) at Carman, some winter wheat fields were at the flag […]

Assess frosted crops before spraying herbicide

May. 31, 2012 at 3:38 pm CDT

By Allan Dawson

CWB fleshes out wheat pricing options

Mar. 19, 2012 at 6:24 pm CDT

By Allan Dawson

Feds move again on “modernizing” Grain Commission

Mar. 9, 2012 at 7:47 pm CST

By Allan Dawson

Saskatoon wooing grain export development agency

Mar. 9, 2012 at 6:03 am CST

By Allan Dawson

U.S. wheat wants access to Canadian elevators

Mar. 5, 2012 at 7:00 pm CST

Canada is considering changes to its wheat quality control system making it easier for American farmers to ship wheat north of the border after the Canadian Wheat Board loses its monopoly Aug. 1. "We are working on an initiative that will see the grading systems more in parallel," Agriculture Minister […]

By Allan Dawson

CWB ready to compete, expecting to be profitable

Feb. 7, 2012 at 12:01 am CST

The Canadian Wheat Board will succeed in an open market, its CEO Ian White predicts. "I’ve got no doubt we can run a viable business," White said in an interview in his office last week. "We hope it will be profitable in its first year. That’s what we’re targeting." The […]

By Allan Dawson

Ritz to press CWB for interim no-cost buybacks

Jan. 16, 2012 at 5:01 am CST

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has pledged to push the Canadian Wheat Board to allow no-cost buybacks for farmers who’d like to market grain ahead of the official end of the single desk. Ritz told the recent annual meeting of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association in Moose Haw that […]

By Allan Dawson Daniel Winters

Ex-CWB directors seek to shut down feds’ appeal

Jan. 13, 2012 at 3:20 pm CST

The legal battle over the Canadian Wheat Board has taken another twist: its eight fired directors are now looking to quash Ottawa’s appeal of a declaration that Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz erred in deregulating the CWB’s marketing desk. Ritz introduced Bill C-18, the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, on […]

By Allan Dawson

Conference explores life after the CWB monopoly

Dec. 29, 2011 at 1:41 pm CST

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 […]

By Allan Dawson