In Brief… – for Jul. 28, 2011

Rain, rain go away:Wheat crops in western Europe have rallied after a spring drought, but the rains that helped them recover may soon pose a threat to crop quality. “We are waiting for some sunshine we definitely don’t need this rain any more,” said Jack Watts of Britain’s Home-Grown Cereals Authority. In France, heavy showers

No Room For Expansion

There is little chance to expand U.S. crop plantings even if land reserves are freed in the face of tight grain supplies, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said May 26. During a Senate hearing, Vilsack warned against cuts in agricultural research programs despite U.S. budget pressures and encouraged worldwide adoption of technology such as genetically engineered


Start Composting

Starting a compost pile is as easy as following a cooking recipe. Just get the right ingredients together, mix well and let it cook. In a matter of months you’ll have finished “black gold” to mix into the soil of your flower, herb and vegetable gardens. Compost ingredients Compost is decomposed or well-rotted organic material.

Western Milk Pool To Explore New Dairy Markets

Canada’s four western provinces have engaged a market specialist to develop new opportunities for dairy products by tapping into growing ethnic populations. The western milk pool has hired Nissim Avraham to help develop ethnic and niche markets through partnerships with dairy processors, distributors and retailers. Avraham is a Dairy Farmers of Ontario employee in charge


Food Fortification: Still Looking For The Sweet Spot

Canada has one of the most restrictive discretionary food fortification laws in the western world. Health Canada officials spent the last 15 years trying to develop a comprehensive new policy to allow food companies greater scope for adding vitamins and minerals to their food products. But last year the health minister stopped the proposed new

National Pooling Report Advances Single Milk Pool Discussion

Areport to the Canadian Milk Supply Management Committee this month could be the first step toward establishing a long-discussed national all-milk pool for dairy farmers. The report by a two-person industry committee caps months of talks with provincial milk boards to gauge their feelings about national pooling. The response so far has been generally positive


U.S. FDA Will Step Up Food Inspections From Japan

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said March 17 it was working on new steps to ensure food imports from Japan were safe as that country works to contain radiation from stricken nuclear power facilities. “As FDA assesses whether there is a potential health risk associated with FDA-regulated food products imported from Japan, the agency

N. Korea Must Step Up Fight On Foot-And-Mouth — FAO

North Korea’s capacity to detect and contain outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock needs significant strengthening, the UN food agency FAO and the world animal health body OIE said Mar. 24. The FAO and the OIE, which sent a joint mission in the reclusive communist state in late February-early March, said FMD cases have been


Radiation In Japanese Food A Concern

The World Health Organization said on Monday that radiation in food after an earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was more serious than previously thought, eclipsing signs of progress in a battle to avert a catastrophic meltdown in its reactors. Engineers managed to rig power cables to all six reactors at the Fukushima complex, 240

Processors, Dairy Producers Butt Heads Again

They’ve promised to try to get along better but processors and dairy producers look set to get into another scrap over the amount of milk in a dairy product. Saputo and Kraft Canada went to court when Ottawa imposed new compositional standards for cheese, which required greater use of milk, in 2008. In February, the