World powers weigh emergency meeting on food prices

Leaders want to avoid grain export embargoes that factored 
into global shortages and political instability in 2008.

Leading members of the Group of 20 nations are prepared to trigger an emergency meeting to tackle soaring grain prices caused by the worst U.S. drought in half a century and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket. France, the United States and G20 president Mexico will hold a conference call at the end

Shell, Iogen scrap plans for Canada biofuel plant

Reuters / Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Iogen Corp. have scrapped plans for a commercial-scale biofuel plant in Manitoba, spelling the loss of 150 jobs and raising questions about widespread and near-term use of fuel made from agricultural waste in Canada. The Iogen Energy joint venture had been studying building a plant to make ethanol


Top-up available for EMI coverage

The province has announced an Excess Moisture Insurance (EMI) top-up of $15 per acre, providing coverage of up to $80 per acre for land too wet to seed by June 20. Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn made the announcement at Ag Days in Brandon. “We can’t afford to jeopardize the economic

BioBaler makes its western Canadian debut

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That really is a round baler being pulled behind a tractor through a juvenile hardwood stand and creating round bales. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) researchers recently demonstrated the “BioBaler,” a patented juvenile-hardwood baling system developed originally by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in collaboration with the CWFC and


Biomass Heating Goes To School

CO-OPERATOR STAFF / OTTERBURNE Staff and students at Providence University College and Seminary in Otterburne are stoked about a new biomass heating unit that will lower emissions and keep them toasty this winter. The No. 1 reason we wanted to do this is because we are a Christian university and, as a Christian university, we

Conference Board Of Canada Says Ethanol Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Reputation

co-operator contributor / ottawa Using crops to produce ethanol hasn t raised food prices and it positions Canada for a strong bioeconomy, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. What s more, next-generation technologies, flex-fuel vehicles, and supporting policies could extend the role ethanol plays in Canadian transportation and manufacturing, adds


China’s Corn Rush To Redraw Global Food Landscape

When China abandoned its soybean self-sufficiency quest almost 20 years ago and started importing the oilseed feeding its hunger for livestock, it almost single- handedly transformed the industry. Today, it s poised to do the same for corn. The world s most populous nation is expected to triple corn purchases next crop year and, by

Canadian Canola Gains U.S. Approval

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of Canadian crops such as canola and corn in U.S. biofuels Sept. 29, a move that lifted Canadian canola prices and may help the U.S. meet its ambitious targets for biofuels. The EPA s designation of Canadian crops as a renewable biomass will allow U.S. biofuel makers


British Energy Firm Sees Potential From Stale Pork Pies

Major British independent oil firm Greenergy sees its future as an exploration company, but one that hunts for fuel in piles of stale pork pies and cakes rather than under the ground or from food crops. The refined oil product wholesaler is still investing in the embattled European Union biodiesel sector, aiming to utilize ever

High Gas Prices Spur Global Biofuel Production

High prices for conventional motor fuels, combined with government content mandates, has spurred biofuel production around the world, says Washington-based Worldwatch Institute. “Global production of biofuels increased 17 per cent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion litres, up from 90 billion litres in 2009,” the institute reports. “High oil prices, a