Letters, June 7, 2012

Farmers own CWB assets Gerry Ritz, once again, attempts to justify the confiscation of the contingency fund and other assets of the Canadian Wheat Board single desk, “Contingency fund not owed to farmers” in the May 31 issue. He is correct in stating that the fund was not generated by the CWB’s “normal” pooling operation



Dryness a growing concern for crops in U.S. Midwest

chicago / reuters / The U.S. Midwest will see little rain over the next week to 10 days, but moderate temperatures will help slow deterioration of corn and soybean crop conditions, an agricultural meteorologist said June 4. “It’s not the best of forecasts, but the fact there will not be any extreme heat will marginalize

Food strategy missing from ag committee report

The Commons agriculture committee is backing calls for a national food strategy, but says there’s not time to develop one before the launch of the Growing Forward Two program next April. “It’s really a different issue from Growing Forward, which is a slate of programs to help farmers,” said Tory MP Larry Miller, the committee’s


Widespread frost early May 30 caused minimal damage

Weekly Provincial Summary  The only remaining acres left to be seeded include greenfeed and millet crops and some isolated acres of canola, edible beans and soybeans.  Reseeding of some fields is still occurring as stands were impacted by either high winds, insect activity, disease, seed placement or dry soil conditions at time of seeding.  Most

Pushing trade with Morocco

Moroccan pulse importers and Canadian pulse exporters are working to remove high tariffs that are restricting pulse trade. “Moroccan pulse importers and Canadian pulse exporters have a common view on the value of improved market access for pulse trade between Canada and Morocco,” said Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada in a release. “We need


Tomato genome project bears fruit

An international team of scientists has cracked the genetic code of the domesticated tomato and its wild ancestor, an achievement which should help breeders identify the genes needed to develop tastier and more nutritious varieties. The full genome sequence of a tomato breed known as Heinz 1706, and a draft sequence for its closest wild

Agricultural research funds escape austerity cuts

Reuters / Public spending on agricultural research is on the rise, despite austerity drives in many countries, as price spikes and problems linked with climate change propel food security towards the top of government agendas, the head of a leading research body said. “People have realized that feeding the world without destroying the environment is


AAFC clarifies checkoff administrator’s authority

The federal government plans to sign an agreement with the Alberta Barley Commission to dictate how farmers’ money collected from the proposed new interim wheat and barley checkoff for research and market development is spent. “ABC and AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) intend to enter into an agreement that will specify what dollars-per-tonne amounts that

Viterra shareholders back Glencore

Reuters / Shareholders of Canada’s largest grain handler, Viterra Inc., voted overwhelmingly May 29 in favour of a friendly takeover bid by Swiss commodities trader Glencore International Plc., pushing the biggest deal in years for the global agricultural sector closer to reality. The deal was supported by 99.8 per cent of shareholders, far more than