“I think it would be fantastic (if the U. S. introduced GM wheat alone) because then the Canadian Wheat Board could go around the world as a single seller of Canadian wheat and have one more selling advantage.” – DARRIN QUALMAN Monsanto is getting back into producing genetically modified (GM) wheat, but for now only
Monsanto Going Back Into Genetically Modified Wheat
New Crop Registration System Implemented
“Eventually the seed industry will argue that their crop kinds all need to be moved to Part (Option) Three because the claim will be made that independent testing and committee structures are too slow and expensive.” – TERRY BOEHM The new “flexible” three-tiered crop variety registration system implemented by the federal government July 8 will
Carbon Offsets Could Reduce The Stink From Manure Lagoons
“Ninety-five per cent of the odour is gone.” – LEONARD HOFER Cutting the stink from manure storage lagoons doesn’t earn farmers a cent, but capturing and destroying the methane lagoons create might. Preferred Carbon, Farmers Edge Precision Consulting, the University of Manitoba and Starlite Colony have set up a pilot project to study to see
New Park In Memory Of Late Conservationist Don Alexander
The green and fertile farmland seen from this vantage point on the edge of the Pembina Escarpment was once prehistoric Lake Amasses. It’s fitting that a place that affords such a view is named for the late Don Alexander, a veteran conservationist and conservation leader. Alexander, who died from cancer Jan. 20 at age 74,
Appeal Court Restores “Gag Order” On CWB
The Federal Court of Appeal has res tored the federal government’s “gag order” against the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). It means the CWB isn’t allowed to spend money advocating to keep its single-desk marketing powers. However, the rul ing says individual CWB directors and even staff can speak publicly in support of single-desk selling as
Richardson, Ducks Unlimited Team Up
Draining a one-acre pothole doesn’t seem like a big deal, until you realize it drains another six acres, says Bob Grant, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) manager of provincial operations. The impact on wildlife habitat, water quality and flooding is bigger than one might suspect. The need to preserve and restore wetlands is just one of
Excess Moisture Claims Are Up This Year
Manitoba crop insurance officials were bracing for unseeded area claims covering up to one million acres as the June 20 deadline passed last weekend. Although the final tally won’t be known until the claims are processed, the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation is anticipating about 2,100 claims covering nearly 10 per cent of Manitoba’s 9.2 million
Farmer Optimism Dampened By Weather Concerns
Relatively good grain prices had Western Canadian farmers feeling optimistic when surveyed in April, but many were justifiably nervous about the weather. The Canadian Wheat Board’s 2009 producer survey shows 60 per cent of farmers continue to believe that agriculture is headed in the right direction. That’s similar to last year’s poll. Prices are down,
Survey Says Support Up For CWB
Support for the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) is up according to the CWB’s most recent survey of farmers. That’s not what usually happens following the kind of controversy swirling around the marketing issue, says David Herle, a partner in the polling firm Gandalf Group that conducted the survey. “Normally in my experience when something becomes
Give Farmers A Say In Commercializing GM Crops
Since the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops can have a huge impact on farmers they should have a say in whether GM crops get commercialized, says Ian Mauro, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies. Canada’s current ‘science-based’ regulatory process doesn’t take socioeconomic factors into account in the approval