(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. puts duties on phosphate from Morocco, Russia

Reuters — The U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday it would set preliminary duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Russia and Morocco, after launching an investigation to determine if producers in these countries were receiving unfair subsidies. The department set preliminary duties of 23.46 per cent on imports from Morocco’s OCP Group and other producers

U.S. president-elect Joe Biden, seen here at the rally kicking off his campaign in May 2019.

Manitoba farm leaders watching U.S. closely

POLITICS | Trade, international relations and the tone of the conversation all of interest

POLITICS | Trade, international relations and the tone of the conversation all of interest

Manitoba’s agriculture sector is taking a wait-and-see approach to the prospect of a Biden presidency in the U.S. Bill Campbell, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the key thing he’ll be looking for is clarity on trade, when speaking to the Co-operator the week after the vote. “Trade will be the primary interest of


(Deere.ca)

Deere buys up ag software maker Harvest Profit

Software's integrations with non-Deere systems to continue

A North Dakota company whose software is used to help farmers gauge a crop’s profitability on a field-by-field basis will now run with the Deere. John Deere on Nov. 12 announced it has acquired Fargo-based Harvest Profit for an undisclosed sum. Harvest Profit — whose software was already integrated with the John Deere Operations Center

The United Nations’ General Assembly Hall in Manhattan. (BWZenith/iStock/Getty Images)

U.N. draws on emergency fund in bid to avert famines

United Nations | Reuters — United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock said on Tuesday he would use US$100 million from the world body’s emergency fund to help seven countries try to avert famine fueled by conflict, spiraling economies, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some $30 million will be spent in Yemen, $15 million each


Manomin (wild rice) growing near Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation.

Manomin Project restoring wild ‘rice’

FOOD | Elders maintain that hydroelectric dams along the Winnipeg River devastated the crop Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation had nurtured and relied on for generations

Knowledge keepers at Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation estimate their ancestors harvested 500,000 pounds of manomin (wild rice) every year from the shallow bays along the Winnipeg River. The nutrient-rich food — not a rice, but a cereal — historically helped families make it through harsh winters, writes Samantha Mehl­tretter, a researcher on the Manomin Project. Beginning in the

Forecast: Seasonable with a chance of snow

Forecast issued Nov. 6, 2020, covering the period from Nov. 11 to 18, 2020

Once again, last week’s forecast did a pretty good job with the major weather features. We saw a nice warmup last week with a few locations breaking record highs last Tuesday and Wednesday. Then the weather models predicted a storm system over the weekend, and as I write this on Friday, it looks like that


Smoke rises from the site of burning railcars at a CP derailment near Guernsey, Sask., on Feb. 6, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Nayan Sthankiya)

New rail speed limits to be based on temperatures

Railways wanting to run under new limits must develop winter operation plans

Given the odds of weird temperature swings happening somewhere in Canada at any time of year, railways will now instead be required to slow their trains’ speeds based on how cold it is outside at the time, rather than a date range. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Friday announced a new ministerial order meant

The McDonald’s “P.L.T.” (CNW Group/McDonald’s Canada)

McDonald’s to make its own ‘McPlant’ items

Beyond Meat says co-created patty

Reuters — Burger chain McDonald’s on Monday decided to debut its own plant-based meat alternatives line called “McPlant” in 2021, including a patty that Beyond Meat subsequently said it helped co-create. “Beyond Meat and McDonald’s co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of their McPlant platform,” a Beyond Meat spokesperson said in


Trent Wotherspoon, shown here speaking in Regina in 2012, is the provincial NDP’s new critic for agriculture and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance. (TrentWotherspoon.com)

Saskatchewan gets new ag critic, returning ag minister

David Marit, Trent Wotherspoon to handle farm file

Saskatchewan’s New Democrats will have a new critic to debate the incumbent minister over the agriculture file. Provincial opposition leader Ryan Meili on Tuesday announced Trent Wotherspoon, the MLA for Regina Rosemont since 2007, as the NDP’s critic for agriculture as well as finance, SaskTel, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC) and the province’s Crown Investments

U.S. rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill, Prophets of Rage) has collaborated with Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewing on a variety of its ‘420’ brand of cannabis-scented beer. (Video screengrab from Sweetwaterbrew.com via YouTube)

Canadian pot producer Aphria to buy U.S. craft brewer

SweetWater's '420' beer would come to Canada

Reuters — Canadian cannabis company Aphria Inc. said on Wednesday it plans to buy craft brewer SweetWater Brewing for US$300 million as it looks to expand into the U.S. while becoming the first major pot producer to enter the alcoholic beverages market. The deal gives Leamington, Ont.-based Aphria a U.S. distribution point at a time