Editor's Note: Late Sunday Olymel and its unionized employees came to an agreement in principle. Olymel announced it would delay a cut of the evening shift until Wednesday, September 1, pending a vote on the agreement. A four-month long strike at a Quebec Olymel plant is set to continue, as Friday morning the union representing... Read More

Flax growers in Western Canada and North Dakota who have historically sold straw to Schweitzer-Mauduit International (SWM) are now scrambling to find a market for their straw. The Georgia-based company, which has processing facilities at Winkler and Carman, Manitoba, is planning to cease its flax straw operations by the end of 2021. As a result,... Read More

Ontario's approximately 85 sugar beet growers are likely to benefit from announced updates to the Michigan Sugar Bay City plant. Last week, Michigan Sugar announced a planned US$65 million upgrade to one of its four sugar beet processing facilities. The upgrade includes a de-sugaring addition for molasses, which will help the company improve overall sugar... Read More

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has updated its forecast for this year's crop, reflecting the impact of drought in Western Canada in its August numbers. AAFC's July report garnered more attention than normal, with a 19.9 million metric tonne (MT) canola production estimate coming in much higher than any other canola projections. In the outlook... Read More

Imperial is moving forward with plans to contract a world-class renewable diesel complex at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton, Alta. The new complex is expected to produce more than 1 billion litres of renewable diesel per year, from locally sourced and grown feedstocks. The project is expected to realize about 3 million tonnes per year... Read More

A protracted labour dispute at a Quebec Olymel hog processing plant has resulted in the company announcing a "significant" reduction in activities at the Vallée-Jonction hog slaughterhouse and cutting plant. Olymel says it has assessed every option and weighed "the concerns and uncertainty that this strike continues to cause for the plant's supplies and deliveries... Read More

As of August 20, 2021, Singapore has approved the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) certificate for the export of all beef, including beef offal, with no age restrictions. The change makes Singapore the first country to remove remaining Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) trade restrictions, following the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognizing Canada as... Read More

Maizex Seeds has announced the launch of four new soybean varieties to be sold in Western Canada exclusively through Maizex Seeds certified dealers. “The launch of these four new varieties represents a new performance level option for soybean producers,” says Stephen Denys, director of market and product development with Maizex Seeds. “Developed through our proven... Read More

A new venture capital fund focused on Canadian ag tech and agribusiness innovation was launched by Conexus Venture Capital Inc. on August 23. The fund, called Emmertech, is funded in part by Libro Credit Union, the largest credit union in southwestern Ontario, and the credit union with the largest agriculture lending portfolio of any credit... Read More