Trish Jordan

Canadian grain companies wary of unapproved GM crops

Top U.S. grain companies have taken a hard line and are refusing genetically modified crops that haven’t been approved in major markets, while Canada’s grain industry remains more flexible. So far the Canadian companies are approaching the issue on a case-by-case basis, but that could change, according to Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western


Dawson: MAFRD is now MDA

Dawson: MAFRD is now MDA

When Premier Brian Pallister and his 12 cabinet ministers were sworn into office May 3 most of their ministries got a new name, including Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD). Once again it is the Manitoba Department of Agriculture (MDA). Rural development is now part of Indigenous and Municipal Relations under Minister Eileen Clarke.

Proper rations, location, and salt additives are key to managing mineral intake of cattle gone to pasture.

Manage your cattle’s mineral menu

Consistent monitoring, proper salt use and location are all key to ensure 
minerals and supplements are effective

Minerals and supplements are necessary tools in cattle production but how do you ensure the herd has what it needs while avoiding expensive waste? Animal nutrition expert D.J. Woodward says striking that balance means monitoring, proper rations and appropriate salt use. “Cattle have to consume minerals in order to have all of the health benefits



Wildfires in the RMs of Piney and Stuartburn in the spring of 2012 starkly illustrated the need for better rural telecommunications.

CRTC chief deems Internet a necessity

Modern telecommunications are still rare as hen’s teeth in rural areas, but hope is on the horizon

A mid-hearing speech, made by the chairman of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, is welcome news to rural advocates of digital equality. In recent televised remarks, Jean-Pierre Blais said the necessity of broadband Internet access was a “self-evident truth,” shifting the focus of the current review of basic telecommunications services from proving the need



Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

Syngenta offer deadline extended as regulators probe deal

Zurich | Reuters — The deadline for shareholders in Swiss pesticides maker Syngenta to accept a US$43 billion takeover bid from state-owned ChemChina has been extended to allow for some outstanding regulatory approvals, the company said Tuesday. Syngenta said the offer will now run from May 24 to July 18. “We don’t have all the


Vancouver-based Earls has backed away from its decision to seek Certified Humane Beef exclusively from a Kansas-based supplier.

Earls’ reversal wins battle, not war

One of Canada’s highest-profile food and agriculture commentators says the beef industry shouldn’t be celebrating victory over getting Earls to roll back its humane beef certification decision. Sylvain Charlebois, a professor of marketing studies at the University of Guelph who frequently writes about food consumers and how they interact with the agriculture and food industry,

(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Lethbridge feed barley’s spring rally muted

CNS Canada — Lethbridge feed barley should be seeing its largest premium over fall and winter months, but so far this year the market’s spring rally has been limited. “This year all we’ve seen is a $5 to $10 per tonne move higher,” said Jim Beusekom, analyst at Market Place Commodities. “So it’s pretty minimal