Mexico City | Reuters — Tensions over sharp differences in pay between Mexican workers and their Canadian and U.S. counterparts surfaced on Sunday as negotiators discussed labour market rules in talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada’s biggest private-sector union said NAFTA should be scrapped if Mexico cannot agree to better labour […] Read more
Sharp differences over labour surface at NAFTA trade talks
Dow, DuPont wrap up merger
With Dow Chemical and DuPont now officially a married couple, the two companies’ agriculture businesses are scheduled to clear out of the house within the next year and a half. As per the terms of the merger-of-equals deal they first announced in late 2015, the two companies’ separate shares ceased trading in New York Thursday […] Read more
U.S. retail, dining, ag sectors rip NAFTA produce proposal
Washington | Reuters — U.S. retail, restaurant and agriculture groups have weighed in against proposals regarding fresh produce put forward by U.S. negotiators as part of an effort to renegotiate NAFTA, according to letters sent to U.S. officials. Talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement resume this weekend in Mexico, the second round […] Read more
Ex-agriculture minister Gerry Ritz quits Commons
Gerry Ritz, the federal minister for agriculture and agri-food for nine years in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, is done with federal politics. The MP for the western Saskatchewan riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster since 1997, Ritz announced via Twitter Thursday morning that he “will not be returning to my seat in the House of Commons this fall.” […] Read more
Clubroot ‘heavily’ infests NW Saskatchewan field
Clubroot has made its presence known in the far northwest of Saskatchewan’s canola-growing region, with the discovery of a “heavily infested” field. SaskCanola on Monday reported the discovery of the disease in a field in crop district 9B, but didn’t give its specific location. District 9B is a group of 16 rural municipalities east of […] Read more
Harvey’s floods scatter cattle in Texas, swamp cotton fields
Chicago | Reuters — South Texas ranchers are scrambling to relocate cattle from massive flooding spawned by Tropical Storm Harvey, with many hauling livestock up to the north of the state while others rush to move the animals to higher ground nearby. About 1.2 million cattle are located in a 54-county disaster area drenched by […] Read more
Koch to seek Saskatchewan Party leadership
A long-time Prairie agriculture policy player who last year became Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall’s seniormost bureaucrat has joined the race to replace him. Alanna Koch, who farms with her husband at Edenwold, Sask., about 40 km northeast of Regina, announced her candidacy Monday for the leadership of the province’s governing Saskatchewan Party. Koch was the […] Read more
Greig: Southern Ontario farmers protest high-speed rail impact
A power corridor that runs from London to Kitchener, Ont. has been a silent neighbour for many who farm in that area. But it’s looking a lot more menacing to them lately, as the likely route for a proposed high-speed rail line from London to Toronto, with stops in Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. Farmers in the […] Read more
BHP said exploring stake sale in Saskatchewan potash mine
Toronto/New York | Reuters — Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton is considering selling a 25 per cent interest in its Saskatchewan potash mine project, a stake that could be worth close to US$2 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The move comes as activist investor Elliott Management Corp. has been pushing the company […] Read more
Trio of groups proposes Alberta-based agrifood ‘supercluster’
Agrium, Olds College and global satellite communications corporation MDA have submitted an application to the federal government to form an agrifood “supercluster.” The Liberal government committed up to $950 million (over five years) in its March budget to create hubs that would focus on key economic sectors in an effort to kickstart investment, boost exports […] Read more
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