N.B. farmer-owned Dairytown to merge into Agropur

A New Brunswick butter and powdered milk processor owned by the province’s dairy producers is set to become Agropur’s latest dairy processing play in Atlantic Canada. Agropur, the major Quebec dairy co-operative whose products include the Natrel, Quebon, Allegro, Olympic and Island Farms brands, announced an agreement in principle Thursday for a merger with Sussex,



Ontario court dismisses raw-milk appeal

An Ontario dairyman’s long-fought legal scrap to be able to distribute unpasteurized (“raw”) milk has hit another wall — this time a dismissal by Ontario’s Court of Appeal. The decision, released Tuesday, upholds a September 2011 decision from the provincial Court of Justice against raw-milk advocate Michael Schmidt. [Related story] The 2011 ruling overturned previous




Saputo eyeing further buys

Reuters — Canada’s largest dairy producer Saputo Inc., which recently won control of Australian dairy Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Co., is hungry for further acquisitions in that country, as well as in New Zealand, Brazil and the U.S., CEO Lino Saputo Jr. said on Thursday. Saputo gave no indication that further big purchases are


Ont. dairy co-op buys Hamilton cheesemaker

Hamilton’s family-owned Salerno Dairy, a specialty Italian-style cheesemaker, is becoming part of Ontario’s largest dairy co-operative. Gay Lea Foods announced Monday it has reached a deal, effective Feb. 1, to buy Salerno for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1962 by cheesemaker Carmine Marzaro and his family, Salerno today makes hard, soft, semi-soft and shredded cheese



Red River Ex woos commodity organizations

Winnipeg may be the only major city in Canada without a venue for agricultural exhibitions, 
but an expansion at the Red River Exhibition grounds hopes to change all that

Red River Exhibition Park is going back to its agrarian roots. The 450-acre site is in the midst of a massive expansion project, and is inviting commodity groups and agribusiness to make their home at Exhibition Park’s new Commodity Campus. Dairy Farmers of Manitoba was the first to move to the site last January, and

Saputo wins majority control of Australia’s Warrnambool

Sydney, Australia | Reuters — Canada’s Saputo said Wednesday it has secured majority control of Australia’s Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Co., putting pressure on rival bidder Murray Goulburn Co-operative Co. to concede defeat. Saputo said it had increased its shareholding in Australia’s oldest dairy maker to 52.7 per cent, giving it control after a