Offshore buyers don’t just love your products anymore. Some also want a cross-section of the whole value chain. For evidence, look no further than the recent sale of Manitoba’s HyLife Foods to the Thai-based conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), the third-largest sow company in the world. Once finalized, the deal will hand off 50.1 per
Value chain for sale
The recent HyLife deal demonstrates how foreign buyers love vertically integrated companies
Catch-22: supply lags demand in sustainable beef
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef framework now needs to focus on financial sustainability and supply
Canada’s sustainable beef effort has reached the retail market, but now needs to work on its own financial sustainability and meeting demand. About 4.7 million pounds of beef qualified for a Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef claim in 2018, according to Cargill. The company is the only processor to currently deliver CRSB certified beef, part
Beekeepers dodge winter loss woes
Initial reports hint at good winter survival for Manitoba’s bees
Manitoba’s frigid start to 2019 did little to phase the honey industry. The Manitoba Beekeepers Association says most of its members reported good winter survival rates, with the exception of some parts of the Interlake. Why it matters: Manitoba’s honey sector took a hit on winter survival last year, but this year’s numbers look more
Cool weather casts questions on weed burn off
Weeds haven’t exactly flourished in the cold this spring, but the province warns that they are germinating, and the cold itself lends challenges to spraying them out
That spring burn off may not be doing what it’s supposed to if temperatures stay low. Lionel Kaskiw, farm production advisor with the province, is reminding farmers to watch their thermometers when deciding if and when to do a pre-emergent herbicide pass. Why it matters: A cold spring has stunted weed growth, but it also
Making the cut at ACC
The college’s new animal-processing centre will train students for the meat sector, ACC says
There’s about to be a new stream of locally trained labour for the province’s meat sector. Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College (ACC) is preparing for the first crop of students at its new animal protein-processing training centre. The college is expecting about 40 graduates annually out of the centre’s first program. The 11-month class will greet
Livestock producers warned against premature turnout
Producers are frustrated with feed supplies, but experts say supplementing grazing will be key until pastures really start to sprout
Livestock producers are anxiously awaiting the greening of pastures, even as extension experts council caution. Producers may be reluctant to spend more money on feed, even if they can find it, but Manitoba Agriculture staff are warning against the temptation to put livestock out too early. Why it matters: Producers may be more than fed
Manitoba protein strategy looks for sustainability
Profits aren’t the only kind of green the province hopes to court with its protein strategy
Manitoba isn’t going to just produce more protein, it’s also going to do it more sustainably. That’s one of the top goals of the provincial government’s much-heralded protein strategy, unveiled for consultation earlier this winter. The question that raises, of course, is what that buzzword is going to mean in practice. Pasture potential Carbon sequestration
Pass the mustard?
Mustard green manures might be the next tool in the tool box against disease and soil degradation in potatoes
It might be time to add a little spice to the potato rotation. Researchers from Washington State University have been planting mustard green manures in the year preceding a potato crop, a strategy some Manitoba agronomists believe might protect the crop and improve soil health. Many of the arguments for green manures will sound familiar
Potato sector not stressing on seed, despite tight supplies
Last year’s tough harvest means tight seed supplies in the run-up to the Simplot expansion opening
Manitoba’s potato sector is gearing up to supply an expanding industry but seed supplies will be tight after a tough harvest last season. J.R. Simplot’s $460-million expansion of its Portage la Prairie plant is expected to double the operation’s need for tubers when it comes online this fall. Why it matters: Manitoba’s potato sector is
HyLife to hand over to Thai conglomerate
Over half of HyLife Foods stock will belong to Thai-based conglomerate CPF once the deal closes
Manitoba pork giant HyLife Foods will soon have someone else calling the shots. The company announced a deal with Thailand-based exporter Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF) for 50.1 of the company’s stock April 22. The $498-million deal adds HyLife to the conglomerate’s list of companies, which span 17 countries and include hogs, chickens,