A section of road is underwater stranding a vehicle after flooding near Waterloo, Neb. on March 18, 2019. (Handout photo by Ryan Hignight/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, via Reuters)

U.S. Midwest’s catastrophic floods cause widespread damage

Brownville, Neb. | Reuters — Severe flooding caused by rainfall and melting snow devastated farms and towns in Nebraska and Iowa on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, with waters yet to crest in parts of the region for several days. The floods inundated stretches

A view of a farm partially submerged in floodwater at Scribner, Neb. on March 14, 2019, in a still image from video obtained from social media on March 19. (Video screengrab from Angie Lange via Reuters)

Livestock, pets among victims in U.S. Midwest flooding

Reuters — The floods that have devastated large swaths of Nebraska and Iowa since late last week left house pets homeless, inflicted an unknown toll on livestock and led to several daring water rescues of animals from dogs to horses. Rescuers in the Omaha area, where the Platte, Elkhorn and Missouri rivers began spilling over


Kubota’s current highest-horsepower line of tractors is the M7 line, manufactured in France. (Kubota.ca)

Buhler to build bigger Kubota tractors in Winnipeg

Kubota’s highest-horsepower tractors yet for the North American farm market are going to be made in Canada. Winnipeg manufacturer Buhler Industries, the maker of Versatile tractors, on Thursday announced a “long-term” original equipment manufacturer (OEM) deal with Japan’s Kubota Corp. to “develop and produce a new tractor platform in the mid-range front-wheel assist segment.” For

Saskatchewan MP David Anderson, shown here at a 2014 event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide, has announced he won’t seek re-election in October. (DavidAnderson.ca)

Former Conservative ag critic won’t run again

A former Conservative agriculture critic best known for his work on the Canadian Wheat Board file won’t return to the House of Commons after this fall’s election. David Anderson, MP for the southwestern Saskatchewan riding of Cypress Hills-Grasslands since 2000, announced Monday he won’t seek re-election on Oct. 21. Anderson, 61, didn’t give a specific


Mary Robinson. (Foodintegrity.ca)

CFA elects new chief

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has elected its first-ever female president in a changing of the guard at its latest annual meeting. Mary Robinson, past-president of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture, was elected president Wednesday at the CFA’s AGM in Ottawa. She replaces Ron Bonnett, the organization’s president since 2010. Keith Currie, president

Marie-Claude Bibeau (centre), shown here Feb. 11 announcing federal funding for a Smucker’s Foods dairy plant at Sherbrooke, Que., is Canada’s new agriculture minister. (MCBibeau.Liberal.ca)

Mini-shuffle includes new federal agriculture minister

Vancouver MP Jody Wilson-Raybould’s exit from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet has led to a mini-shuffle and a new federal minister for agriculture and agri-food. Marie-Claude Bibeau, MP for the Quebec riding of Compton-Stanstead since 2015, replaced Lawrence MacAulay as agriculture minister on Friday, becoming the first woman to handle the ag portfolio. MacAulay, the


(Thamyrissalgueiro/iStock/Getty Images)

Abrupt mid-March shift into spring predicted

Winter conditions are expected to remain the norm across the Canadian Prairies through the middle of March, when a sudden pattern change brings an abrupt start to spring, according to the latest seasonal forecast from The Weather Network. The quick move from cold to warm conditions raises the risk of flooding in areas with a

The Red River in southern Winnipeg. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

U.S. agency sees high spring flood risk for Red River

As most of Western Canada continues to brace for frigid temperatures, some in southern Manitoba are already preparing for a messy spring. The U.S. National Weather Service on Thursday reported the Red River is in danger of significant flooding due to rapid snowmelt in March. Its report stated the risk for significant snowmelt flooding is


A 2013 Ford F-150. (Ford Media video screengrab via YouTube)

Ford recalls 1.48 million pickups over transmissions

Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said on Wednesday it was recalling about 1.48 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America due to a potential transmission downshift issue that could increase the risk of a crash. Ford said select 2011-2013 model year trucks with six-speed automatic transmission could experience an unintended downshift into first

File photo of an oil pumpjack near Drumheller, Alta. (LaughingMango/E+/Getty Images)

Bankrupt oil firms must clean up inactive wells, Supreme Court rules

Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that bankrupt oil companies must clean up inactive wells, overturning lower court decisions that prioritized paying creditors and potentially raising the risks of investment in the industry. The 5-2 ruling means that the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), which had appealed the earlier court decisions, can