U.S. Meat Sales Holding Despite Higher Prices

Consumer spending at U.S. meat counters is steady to up slightly over the past two years as worries about the economy and high unemployment have waned, according to surveys presented at a meat industry convention Apr. 13 “At this point consumers are relatively happy because they are coming out of the other side of the

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ews that South Korea may soon lift a ban on Canadian beef imports could be a major boost for Canada’s beef sales abroad, an industry official says. South Korea’s agriculture minister was recently quoted as saying his country could remove the eight-year ban by the end of June. That would reopen one of Canada’s biggest


Start Fresh This Spring, Says Vegetable Expert

After last year’s late blight apocalypse, many home gardeners have spent a dreary winter opening tin cans instead of jars of their own delicious preserved tomatoes. Added to that disheartening experience, was the sinking feeling one gets when reaching into the potato bin and pulling out the odd stinky, mushy tuber. There are no guarantees

Breakfast Never Needs To Be Boring

ith the sun up earlier each morning now, many of us are getting earlier starts to the day. Mornings should always include eating breakfast, of course, yet many of us skip it. I’ve seen reports that say about 40 per cent skip breakfast, often with the notion that it will help with weight loss. (The


Canola Survey Asks The Right Question

We’re all rational people here, right? I would hope that if one of us has a new idea, we should be able to bring it forward and debate it, discuss its merits, and reach some kind of a logical conclusion. It all sounds simple enough. So why is it that the minute there is any

Ritz Offers Illusionary Freedom

Only weeks after declaring that the Harper government respects farmers’ decision to support the Canadian Wheat Board single desk (Minnedosa Ag Forum), Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said during the Canadian Federation


KAP Opposes Roundup Ready Alfalfa’s Release In Canada

The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has added its voice to groups opposed to the release of Roundup Ready alfalfa. “It’s a superweed,” Paul Gregory, a Fisher Branch farmer and alfalfa seed exporter said during debate on his resolution for KAP to support the Manitoba Forage Seed Association’s efforts to block Roundup Ready alfalfa’s release. “Once



Risk-Averse Investors Ignore Weather Signals

Old-crop canola con-t racts on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform took it on the chin during the week ended April 15, suffering larger losses than the new-crop months. The complete lack of buying interest resulted in the nearby May and July canola futures suffering some significant declines. Steady elevator company hedge selling, prompted by