Syngenta Sues Bunge Over Rejection Of GMO Corn Type

Syngenta Seeds, a unit of the world’s largest agrochemicals company Syngenta AG, has filed suit against major grain handler Bunge for refusing to accept a type of its biotech corn. Syngenta claims Bunge’s North America operations are illegally refusing to handle a type of genetically modified corn that is designed to protect the crop against

Late Blight Found In Tomatoes

The first case of late blight, the bane of Manitoba tomato growers last year, was confirmed last week on garden tomatoes in Ashern. Five cases of the fungal disease responsible for the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, have been detected in potatoes, including in a “sentinel” plot at the Canada-Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre near


Small Crop Offers Good Return

Last year was one of the toughest years farmers can remember, plagued with drowned-out seeding, weather-induced quality demotions, and sluggish rail service. But the prices for the 2010 crop made it worth the hassle. “At the end of the day we will see one of the highest overall returns in history, including the second-highest wheat

Letters – for Sep. 1, 2011

As the District 2 CWB director, I attended the three so-called producer information meetings set up by the CWB in Medicine Hat, Camrose and Falher. Having read some of the media reports of the meetings in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, I knew that these meetings were all about politics, and an all-or-nothing message from the CWB


Big Canadian Crop Coming, Says StatsCan

While Canadian farmers will produce more wheat and a record-large canola crop in 2011, according to Statistic Canada, Manitoba’s crop production will be well below average. StatsCan estimated in its Aug. 24 report based on a July 11 survey all-wheat production of 24.076 million tonnes, up nearly four per cent from a year ago, and

Hurricane Irene Damages Crops And Livestock

Hurricane Irene caused serious losses to North Carolina tobacco and food crops and could drive some farmers out of business, the state agriculture commissioner said Aug. 29. The extent of crops and livestock lost will not be known until later, but the arrival of Irene at the start of crop harvest season was the worst


Canola Trade Bullish Despite Big Forecast

Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform posted some modest advances during the week ended Aug. 26 despite the fact that a crop production survey from Statistics Canada estimated output of the crop at a record-size level. The government agency’s survey for the period ended July 31 said canola production in Canada during

CWB Raises 2011-12 PROs

The Canadian Wheat Board has increased its projected returns for wheat, durum and barley in its latest Pool Return Outlook (PRO) for the 2011-12 crop year. Wheat values have increased since last month’s PRO by between $12 and $18 per tonne, depending on class, grade and protein level. Durum values have gone up between $6


Rumour Mill Wrong About Packers Dragging Their Feet

There is no validity to rumours that meat packers may be reluctant to embrace the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s (CCA) Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), says spokesman Larry Thomas. “On the packer question I can share that yes, we have not been public in sounding the horns about packer support for BIXS, but rest assured we are

Sunflower Acres Look To Rebound In 2012

Manitoba sunflower crops are looking good, the problem is there just aren’t that many this year. More than half of the province’s sunflowers are grown in southwestern Manitoba National Sunflower Association of Canada (NSAC) president Kelly Dobson said Aug. 19, during a tour of the Manitoba Crop Evaluation Trials’ (MCVET) sunflower plots. A wet spring