Insights and Stories on General

USDA’s Vilsack warns on food prices, prays for rain

Jul. 18, 2012 at 4:52 pm CDT

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he was on his knees every day, praying for rain in the Midwest, where a prolonged drought is withering crops in the fields and will likely push up food prices later this year and next. Vilsack urged Congress to work with the Obama administration […]

U.S. regulator admits failure in PFG oversight

Jul. 17, 2012 at 3:53 pm CDT

By alexandra-alper sarah-n-lynch

Ego too big to fail, PFG founder admits 20-year fraud

Jul. 13, 2012 at 7:53 pm CDT

By P.J. Huffstutter Tom Polansek

Farmed food prices seen on upward trend in next decade

Jul. 11, 2012 at 8:55 pm CDT

By Catherine Hornby

USDA jolts traders with sharp cut to corn estimate

Jul. 11, 2012 at 1:07 pm CDT

By Charles Abbott

Health Canada to probe wind turbine noise

Jul. 11, 2012 at 6:33 am CDT

Health Canada plans its own primary research to paint “a more complete picture” of the potential health impacts on rural Canadians from life near wind turbine farms. The federal department on Tuesday announced it will work with Statistics Canada on a new peer-reviewed study, for completion sometime in 2014, on […]

Ottawa seeks heavier trigger pull on AgriStability: report

Jul. 10, 2012 at 12:38 pm CDT

Proposed changes to the federal/provincial farm income stabilization program beyond this year are expected to lead to tighter eligibility for a program payout, according to a producer group observing the planning process. In its Grass Routes newsletter last week, Alberta Beef Producers reported some suggestion among federal and provincial agriculture […]

Manitoba crops look good; more moisture welcome

Jul. 9, 2012 at 4:55 pm CDT

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives has released is crop report, crop production update and crop weather report for last week. Full text is posted alongside. Highlights • The continuing warm weather is advancing crops quickly, allowing producers to make excellent progress with haying operations and permitting fungicide applications to […]

Rain keeps a lid on some bug populations in Alberta

Jul. 5, 2012 at 1:53 pm CDT

Rain makes grain but it apparently doesn’t make bugs. Alberta Agriculture pest specialist Scott Meers in his latest Call of the Land interview says abundant moisture is keeping a lid on several pest populations. Diamondback moths were a concern early in the season, but "Now we’re having trouble finding very […]

WTO to lower entry bar for poorest countries

Jul. 4, 2012 at 4:58 pm CDT

The World Trade Organization has agreed new membership standards for the weakest economies, lowering the bar for countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Sudan to join the global trading club, according to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday. In the document, which was agreed on June 29 and will […]

By Tom Miles