This past year was the busiest on record for plant breeders’ rights education and enforcement. Todd Hyra, western Canadian business manager for SeCan, said there were over 400 advertisements for seed sales that required investigation industry-wide through the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA), the body established to protect intellectual property rights. “SeCan alone had 40
PBR enforcement numbers highest on record
Financial penalties can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands, depending on the level of illegal sales
Local government wants greater share of tax dollar
Municipalities say the money is needed to sustain key infrastructure
Most Manitobans agree local councils should get a fairer share of infrastructure tax dollars and have greater say in how they’re spent. That’s according to a recent poll conducted for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities which showed 85 per cent of those surveyed by NPG Research in January think local government should have access to
Liberals pressed on PACA pledge for produce growers
The federal opposition New Democrats have cherry-picked a Liberal election promise to fruit and vegetable growers seeking insurance against U.S. and Canadian buyers who dodge their bills. Tracey Ramsey, the NDP’s international trade critic and MP for the southwestern Ontario riding of Essex, on Tuesday tabled a motion in the Commons for Canada to set
Jason and Laura Kehler named Manitoba’s Outstanding Young Farmers
The couple will compete for the national title later this year in Niagara Falls
Carman-area farmers Jason and Laura Kehler will represent Manitoba at the Canadian Outstanding Young Farmers finals in Niagara Falls in late November. The couple, was selected from several nominees at the provincial event in Winnipeg. The Kehlers operate Kehler Farms Ltd., a 5,600-acre operation producing potatoes, seed soybeans, corn, canola, oats, wheat, soybeans and edible
Federal rules arrive on halal food claims
Any food marketed in Canada as certified halal in its labeling or ads will have to include the name of its halal certifying body, starting next month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Wednesday the two-year grace period it launched in 2014 for halal labelling and advertising requirements will end April 4. Past that
A river flows freely in early Manitoba spring
Our History: March 2000
A photo of water running in spring on the Assiniboine River near Brandon is not unusual, but this shot from the previous week ran in our March 9, 2000 issue. A story alongside reported that the winter had been one of the warmest on record, with widespread snow cover not showing up until December, and
Plant-based egg offers new market for soybeans
Does this mean we can go back to eating raw cookie dough?
An Iowa company has launched a soy-based egg substitute in a bid to capitalize on shaken processor confidence after avian influenza caused egg shortages and price spikes in the U.S. last year. Sioux Natural is promoting Veggan, a gluten-free, plant-based egg alternative that can be used for baking waffles, doughnuts, cookies, muffins, cake mixes and
U.S. COOL rules formally off beef, pork
The U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has formally patched a long-sore spot in cross-border trade relations by pulling its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) regulations off beef and pork. The AMS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), published its amendments Wednesday in the U.S. Federal Register. The changes, which took effect upon publication, mean
U.S. ag secretary calls for mandatory GMO label
Legislation to avoid a patchwork of state laws on labeling of genetically modified (GMO) foods should make such labels mandatory, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told farmers in New Orleans Friday. Vilsack’s remarks at the Commodity Classic, a U.S. farmers’ trade show and multi-group convention, come as the U.S. Senate agriculture committee sends its proposal
PHOTOS: This Old Elevator: February 2016
Manitoba Historical Society wants to gather information about all the grain elevators in Manitoba
In the 1950s, there were over 700 grain elevators in Manitoba. Today, there are fewer than 200. You can help to preserve the legacy of these disappearing “Prairie sentinels.” The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) is gathering information about all elevators that ever stood in Manitoba, regardless of their present status. Collaborating with the Manitoba Co-operator
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
