Plant product to go toe to toe with meat and dairy?

A researcher says the global food problem is not feeding people, but animals Livestock agriculture is an obsolete technology, says Stanford researcher, Patrick O. Brown. “Animal farming is by far the biggest ongoing global environmental catastrophe,” says Brown. “It’s an inefficient technology that hasn’t changed for a millennia.” In a presentation to the American Association


Canola, wheat now neck and neck for acreage

Canola area is seen at 19.4 million acres and wheat will be at 19 million acres Canadian farmers will plant a record-large area to canola this year as they take advantage of attractive prices and dry conditions, the annual Wild Oats GrainWorld outlook conference heard on Monday. Canola area will soar to 19.4 million acres,

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Monsanto

A federal judge has ruled in favour of global seed giant Monsanto Co., dismissing a lawsuit brought by a consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers who said their industry is at risk from Monsanto’s growing market strength. U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald, for the Southern District of New York, threw out the



Brazil planning giant Amazon soybean port

rio de janeiro / reuters / Brazilian port authorities are planning a new grains port in the Amazon region, a terminal designed to become the country’s largest soybean export centre and to slash transportation costs for farmers, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported Feb. 18. The proposed 18-million-tonne-a-year Port of Outeiro would be built


Watch for soybean cyst nematodes in Manitoba

When Manitoba farmers first started growing soybeans it seemed to be a crop without pests. That changed as the acres grew. Some years aphids and white mould have been problems, and eventually soybean cyst nematode will turn up too, says Albert Tenuta, an extension plant pathologist with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Belarus threatens to ban farm imports from Ukraine

kiev / reuters / Belarus has threatened to ban imports of Ukrainian sunflower oil, corn and several other agriculture commodities after Ukraine announced it was barring imports of Belarussian milk and dairy products, Ukraine’s Farm Ministry said March 3. The retaliatory move by Belarus marked an escalation in a regional trade war over dairy products


China’s “Feed King” calls for opening corn trade

beijing / reuters / China should fully liberalize its corn trade, according to the founder of the country’s largest private agricultural business. China currently maintains a quota system over grains imports in an attempt to grow almost all of its grains domestically. But as meat consumption rises, feed companies are increasingly chafing against the restrictions.

China to partly lift ban on Canada canola imports

beijing / reuters /Chinese quarantine authorities will allow imports of Canadian canola by some selected crushers located in major growing areas, partially lifting a 2009 ban it imposed because of blackleg concerns. The import relaxation, likely to be cleared in the second half of the year, would further boost Canadian canola exports later in the