Insights and Stories of Staff

SW Ont. tobacco farmers arrested in black-market probe

May. 2, 2014 at 6:35 pm CDT

Farmers and brokers in southwestern Ontario’s tobacco sector are among nine people arrested for alleged roles in a black-market network for domestic tobacco. RCMP at London, Ont. on Friday reported the arrests, along with six executed search warrants and seizures of tobacco, equipment and street drugs, wrapping up a week […]

Louis Dreyfus launches level-of-service action against CN

May. 2, 2014 at 6:21 am CDT

By Staff

Maple Leaf books Q1 loss under PEDv cost pressure

May. 2, 2014 at 5:03 am CDT

By Staff

Internal trade panel rips Que. limits on edible oil products

Apr. 30, 2014 at 5:29 pm CDT

By Staff

Rules to be tightened for halal label claims

Apr. 30, 2014 at 4:35 am CDT

By Staff

Limits on antibiotics’ use acceptable for ranchers

Apr. 29, 2014 at 3:45 am CDT

New federal limits halting use of “medically important” antibiotics as growth promotants in livestock production aren’t expected to hurt the industry. “There won’t be as much restriction as we first thought,” Canadian Cattle Association president Dave Solverson said in the latest issue of Alberta Farmer, but added “there will be […]

By Staff

Diesel, exchange rate to boost cost index for Prairie grain freight

Apr. 28, 2014 at 6:21 pm CDT

A price index on which the math is based for how much revenue Canada’s big two railways get to keep from handling Prairie grain will see an above-average raise for the coming crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Monday pegged the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) for the 2014-15 […]

By Staff

Another off-farm Manitoba site turns up PEDv

Apr. 28, 2014 at 5:20 pm CDT

Another unnamed “high-traffic” off-farm site in western Manitoba has been found to have the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) present — albeit briefly, the province reported Monday. Manitoba’s office of the Chief Veterinary Officer on Monday did not mention any cases of the virus in hogs that had been at […]

By Staff

Possible new clubroot strain seen beating resistant canolas

Apr. 28, 2014 at 4:54 am CDT

Higher-than-expected levels of clubroot infection, recently confirmed in some Edmonton-area canola fields seeded to clubroot-resistant seed varieties, may suggest a new pathotype of the disease in play. Stephen Strelkov, a professor and plant pathologist at the University of Alberta, said in a recent release that data from samples in the […]

By Staff

Alta. gathers GF2 funding for PED prevention

Apr. 28, 2014 at 4:10 am CDT

The Alberta and federal governments have assembled $1.35 million in funding for the province’s hog sector to further build up biosecurity against diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). The money, budgeted for Alberta Pork from the Growing Forward 2 (GF2) ag policy funding framework, is on top of previously-announced […]

By Staff