The federal government can do something to help Ontario's $900-million mushroom sector — that is, extend or change the temporary foreign worker program. Such a change might help other agri-food sectors too and give new skilled Canadians a productive place in our society. The agri-food sector's struggle with labour is widely known. Canadians like to... Read More
Category: Ag Business
Consumers are farmers' customers...eventually. But in between the farmer and the consumer is an entire supply chain, from processor, to transporter, to wholesaler and retailer, each taking their pound of flesh. Yet, if consumers demand certain items, production systems or products, it's largely farmers, not the entire supply chain, that must adapt and shoulder much... Read More
When it comes to Canada’s $27-billion food waste problem, what’s actionable on your farm? How can you take measures to reduce it…and should you bother? Martin Gooch thinks so. On behalf of his firm, Value Chain Management International, he’s co-authored a new study, Developing an Industry-Led Approach to Addressing Food Waste in Canada, to try... Read More
To some, "accepting risk" is an excuse to not fully understand personal finance, and it's no wonder, with an abundance of numbers, statistics and graphs, economics can seem daunting to some or overly dull to others. And for women, as Gwen Paddock, national manager of agriculture and agribusiness for RBC Royal Bank, points out, the... Read More
The newly-minted provincial agriculture minister for Ontario, Jeff Leal, has not changed policy or regulation on neonicotinoid seed treatments. Let's get that out of the way right now. Will the government soon step in, requiring more paper work, perhaps a licensing systems and more monitoring or rules around the use of neonics on corn and... Read More
Do you ever wonder where equipment manufacturers get their great new ideas? While some will get inspiration from their own on-the-farm experiences, some new innovations are dreamed up on paper long before they ever hit the field. Still other manufacturers use a collaborative approach, seeking out feedback from their customers and problem solving for them.... Read More
An ever-increasing global population is putting stress and strain on our existing farm land and food resources — that much we know. But what do we do about it? Launched last fall, the Good Growth Plan is Syngenta’s answer, at least in part, to that question. A global initiative with six commitments, the plan is... Read More
CWB has announced an agreement where it will acquire, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, all the issued and outstanding common shares of Great Sandhills Terminal Ltd. (GST), based at Leader, Saskatchewan. The deal, worth $581.98 per share, represents a total equity value, on a fully diluted basis, of $17,426,227 (subject to adjustment in certain circumstances), according... Read More
When it comes to making a decision on your farm, you may be comfortable getting agronomic advice from your peers or the generation that's gone before, but how many of you have what you consider a mentor for your career as a farmer? The same question applies to those in industry as well — who... Read More
Sweeping changes are taking place in crop protection, especially when it comes to traditional chemicals. I believe these changes are for the best, but they’re going to take some explaining to consumers. Here’s what’s happening. At the BASF media summit in North Carolina this week, the company announced it was introducing an eye-popping 20 new... Read More