grain cars at a grain elevator terminal

Feds extend railway grain-shipping targets

Most of the industry supports the move, but millers fear it will lead to domestic changes

Ottawa’s last-minute decision to continue setting grain-shipping targets for the railways until March 28, 2015 has the support of western elevator companies and most farm groups, but not Canadian millers. “It’s good news that they are keeping the spotlight on grain transportation for this winter period,” Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator

Dr. James Hutchinson

Federal scientists muzzled by PMO

Stance on antibiotic issues hard to pin down

Canada’s federal government wants the public to know that it is promoting the “prudent use” of medically important antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals. But it doesn’t want the public to know what that means — and it certainly doesn’t want the public to hear what its scientists and veterinarians have to say about what many

wind turbine

Wind turbines can be annoying — but not a health risk

A federal study found no evidence to support claims they are a hazard

A two-year study by the federal government has found no detrimental impact on human health from wind turbines, although the giant towers and their rotating arms can be annoying to nearby residents. “No evidence was found to support a link between exposure to wind turbine noise and any of the self-reported or measured health end

wheat field

AAFC proposing two-tier crop variety registration system

One category would require merit testing and the other would only require the registrant to demonstrate a variety was new, distinguishable, uniform and stable

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is proposing to reduce Canada’s crop variety registration system from three tiers to two by 2016. One of the tiers would still include merit testing as part of the process for registering new wheats for western Canadian farmers, which is seen by many as an important tool in assuring wheat

man speaking at conference

Are rail companies poised to miss grain shipping targets?

The next few weeks will be crucial as farmers 
wait to see if grain backlogs will again be a problem 
on the Canadian Prairies

This year’s Prairie harvest may not be quite the record-breaking bin buster that 2013 was, but it doesn’t mean farmers will be free of transportation problems. Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp. — the Edmonton-based company which was contracted by the federal government to monitor grain transport in the West — said that the next


paterson grain terminal sign

Farmers, grain companies want federal government to continue railway shipping targets

Ritz’s office says he and the transport minister haven’t made a decision yet

Farm groups and grain companies said last week their grain transportation woes are far from over as the federal government considers whether to keep or lift minimum movement orders for the railways. In an emailed statement Oct. 31, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s office appeared to backtrack from a news story earlier in the week saying

bee pollinating canola

Canola Council joins coalition for bee health road map

A diverse group of corporate entities join together 
with beekeepers as the Honey Bee Health Coalition

The Canola Council of Canada has joined the Honey Bee Health Coalition, a North American coalition of more than 30 organizations, in the hopes of improving pollinator numbers. “We’re really dependent on pollinators to have seed stocks for this 20-million-acre industry, so obviously we want that relationship to continue,” said Gregory Sekulic, who represents the

wheat field

FP Genetics unveils CWRS Certified Seed Profit Guarantee

The company is confident its new wheats will outperform bin-run varieties

FP Genetics is so confident one of its new Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheats is more profitable than older varieties grown from bin-run seed, it’s guaranteeing it. “We’ve developed a program that allows a grower to upgrade their wheat genetics at no risk to them,” FP Genetics CEO Rod Merryweather said in a news


broiler chickens

Chicken industry struggles with production quota allocations

An old problem takes on new urgency as disgruntled provinces start pulling out of the system

A recurring dispute over how production quota is allocated to provinces experiencing rapid population growth is once again haunting Canada’s broiler chicken industry. Negotiations to solve the issue of differential growth have repeatedly broken down and one province has left the national chicken system in protest. A solution appeared close several times this summer. But

sentries standing guard at Canada's National War Memorial

SeCan staff duck for cover during attack on Parliament Hill

What was thought to be construction noise turned out to be gunfire

What seed company executive Todd Hyra first thought was an annoying construction noise disrupting his meeting on Parliament Hill Oct. 22 turned out to be gunfire. “It sounded like somebody was doing sheet metal work,” Hyra, SeCan’s Winnipeg-based business manager for Western Canada, said in an interview Oct. 24. “Then within a few seconds a