Managers of the class-action settlement between feed maker Ridley Inc. and Canadian cattle producers have set a December deadline by which cattle producers must declare if they plan to opt out of the deal. Ridley in 2005 had been named along with the federal government and unnamed bureaucrats in four co-ordinated suits over allegations of
Opt-out deadline set for BSE settlement
No merit in Pioneer v. Pioneer suit: Richardson
The company formerly known as Pioneer Grain says it won’t stop selling seed to Prairie farmers under the Pioneer name without a fight. Richardson Pioneer, the recently-renamed grain handling wing of Winnipeg agribusiness firm Richardson International, said in a release late Wednesday that a lawsuit filed against it by Pioneer Hi-Bred, an international seed breeding
Pioneer Hi-Bred to sue Pioneer Grain
Pioneer Hi-Bred says there’s not enough room in Western Canada for two Pioneers to sell seed to farmers. Pioneer Hi-Bred, a major seed breeding and marketing firm owned by DuPont, announced Wednesday it has filed lawsuits in Winnipeg and Toronto against Pioneer Grain, which until recently was the name of the Prairie grain handling division
Ruling consolidates BSE class action suits
An Ontario cattleman’s lawsuit against the federal government over losses due to BSE is now certified as a class action, with its “class” expanded to include all Canadian cattle producers outside Quebec. Justice Joan Lax of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that the suit — with Niagara Falls beef cattleman and dairy
Commodity firm buys into Canterra Seeds
A new Canadian arm of a Minneapolis commodity firm has signed a deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in Canterra Seeds. Riverland Agriculture, Ltd. of Calgary will pay $3.125 million for 1.3 million Canterra voting shares and take two seats on the Winnipeg seed company’s board of directors, Canterra announced Wednesday. Formed only
Quebec to rework ag lender’s governance
Quebec’s government has moved to put a little more arm’s-length between its farmers and its ag finance agency’s board. Acting on the Pronovost report on the future of the province’s farm and agri-food sector, Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard on Wednesday tabled legislation to modernize the governance structure of La Financière agricole du Québec (FAQ). The
Rules tightened on ammonium nitrate sales
Anyone selling ammonium nitrate fertilizer in Canada will need to be registered and its resale will be prohibited under new federal regulations starting June 1. The new regulations announced Wednesday will require that anyone who sells ammonium nitrate — in its solid form at a concentration of 28 to 34 per cent nitrogen — or
Texas turns away Mexico-bound Canadian cattle
The Texas Department of Agriculture says it will turn back certain types of Canadian breeding cattle that show up at the state’s ports along the Mexican border, pending the outcome of talks between U.S. and Mexican officials. In a press release Friday, Texas ag commissioner Todd Staples said the Mexican government is offering a new
Advances, sow cull on tap for livestock sector
New rules for the federal advance payments program (APP) that could spot livestock producers up to $400,000 each are on the table for Canada’s livestock producers, pending approval by the House of Commons. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced Monday that legislative amendments for the program have just been tabled, at the same time as
Agrium extends UAP offer, again
Fertilizer maker and input retailer Agrium has again extended its offer to buy UAP, a major North American input retailer, while it waits for green lights from antitrust regulators in both Canada and the U.S. Calgary-based Agrium announced Friday that its US$39-per-share tender offer, which had previously been extended by nine days to midnight ET
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