What’s Up – for Jul. 15, 2010

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762. July 21: Manitoba Provincial Grazing Tour in the North Parkland (Dauphin) area of the province. For more information call 622-2006 or email: pamela. [email protected]. July 21: University of Manitoba organic field tours, 1:30 p. m. and 6:30 p. m., Ian N. Morrison Research Farm, Carman. Contact

Cautious Approach Urged In EU Trade Talks

“(Canadian farmers) would be forgiven for suggesting that the standard of support in the EU is risk elimination.” – TRADE CONSULTANT PETER CLARK Acautious approach to negotiating the agriculture component of a free trade agreement with the European Union is needed, warns trade expert Peter Clark. Clark’s observations about the trade talks came as the


What’s Up – for Jun. 24, 2010

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762. July 6-9– Crop Diagnostic School, Ian N. Morrison (University of Manitoba) Research Farm, Carman. Enrolment limited to 60 people per day, cost $160 per person. For more info or to register call 204-745-5663. July 11-14 – Canadian Special Crops Association annual convention and trade show, Sheraton

DuPont Likes EU Moves On GMO Crops

Moves by the European Union to overhaul its approval system for genetically modified crops is a “big step forward,” but it is likely to be some time before the bloc is open to widespread cultivation of key crops, a leading DuPont executive said June 8. Citing a provision of reported regulatory plans to allow EU


What’s Up – for Jun. 10, 2010

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762. June 9-11 – World Pork Expo, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines. For more info call 417-451-6004 or visit www.world-pork.org. June 16-18 – Western Canada Farm Progress Show, Evraz Place (formerly Regina Exhibition Park), Regina. For more info visit www.myfarmshow.com. June 21 – One-day chainsaw safety, handling

Canola, Soybean Farmers Oppose Market Access Bill

Genetically engineered seeds have been a boon to canola and soybean farmers and Ottawa shouldn’t impose non-scientific evaluations on future varieties, representatives of oilseed growers told the Commons agriculture committee last week. The committee is holding hearings on a bill presented by NDP farm spokesman Alex Atamanenko to require a market analysis of new GE


What’s Up – for Jun. 3, 2010

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762. June 9-11 – World Pork Expo, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines. For more info call 417-451-6004 or visit www.world-pork.org. June 16-18 – Western Canada Farm Progress Show, Evraz Place (formerly Regina Exhibition Park), Regina. For more info visit www.myfarmshow.com. June 21 – One-day chainsaw safety, handling

Monsanto Acknowledges Role In “Super Weeds”

Monsanto Co. said on May 27 it will restructure its herbicide products in an effort to help combat the spreading environmental woes of herbicide-resistant weeds, also known as “super weeds,” which many critics have blamed on the chemical giant. “We need to get in front of this,” Monsanto chairman Hugh Grant said in a conference


Will Bill C-474 Kill Research?

Will the private sector bow out of crop research if Bill C-474 becomes law? Some industry and farm organizations warn NDP MP Alex Atamanenko’s private member’s bill to require a market impact assessment before new technology is approved will have that result. If private companies pull out, or even cut back on research, it would

Experts Pinpoint Rice Gene That Controls Yield

Researchers in Japan and China have identified in separate studies a gene in rice that appears to control grain yield, they reported May 25. Some experts say crop yields need to double by 2050 to feed the world’s growing population and enhancing crop production is viewed as an important solution. Led by Motoyuki Ashikari at