Rock Nelson is a fifth generation South Dakotan — and South Dakota is a few thousand kilometres from Winnipeg, Manitoba and in a different country — but he is an admirer of the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the province, which he thinks is embodied by the World Trade Centre Winnipeg. That may be because his […] Read more
Ad Feature: Centrallia puts opportunities on horizon for Plains region
Univar buys Prairie fertilizer distributor Nexus Ag
U.S. chemical distribution giant Univar has bought its way further into the Prairie crop input business by taking over Saskatoon-based fertilizer wholesaler Nexus Ag. Nexus Ag, in business in the West since 1997, deals in various North American companies’ specialty fertilizers, potash, phosphates, liquid and soluble nutrients and micronutrients such as copper, zinc and boron, […] Read more
Nitrates to linger for decades in N-heavy waterways, study finds
Lakes, rivers, streams and well water high in nitrates will stay that way for another 35 years or more, even if farmers in those watersheds were to stop applying nitrogen (N) fertilizer on their fields today, a new study shows. The study of the Mississippi River basin, published Tuesday by Canadian and U.S. researchers, shows […] Read more
Cuban export opportunities eyed for U.S. farmers
Lima | Reuters –– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that farm officials want to lay the groundwork so U.S. agricultural exporters can seize new opportunities in Cuba if the trade embargo on the country is lifted. The normalization of trade relations would allow U.S. farmers to use lower transportation costs to edge […] Read more
Australia dumps ‘backpacker tax’ over farm, export concerns
Sydney | Reuters — Australia on Wednesday walked back from a planned tax hike on foreign travellers who work in the country, following concerns from farmers that their supply of “backpacker labour” at harvest times may dry up and undermine Australia’s ambitions of being Asia’s delicatessen. Australian fruit exports are set to hit a record […] Read more
U.S. Senate blocks bill that would override state GMO labeling laws
Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked a bill that would nullify state and local efforts to require food makers to label products made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as the industry races to stop Vermont’s law from taking effect on July 1. The proposed legislation from Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas comes […] Read more
Liberals pressed on PACA pledge for produce growers
The federal opposition New Democrats have cherry-picked a Liberal election promise to fruit and vegetable growers seeking insurance against U.S. and Canadian buyers who dodge their bills. Tracey Ramsey, the NDP’s international trade critic and MP for the southwestern Ontario riding of Essex, on Tuesday tabled a motion in the Commons for Canada to set […] Read more
India, Middle East countries in talks on oil-for-food scheme
New Delhi | Reuters — India is in talks with some Gulf nations to buy oil to fill its strategic reserves and sell food in return, seeking to use its position as the world’s third-largest oil importer to both secure energy supplies and boost exports. Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters the idea was […] Read more
U.S. COOL rules formally off beef, pork
The U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has formally patched a long-sore spot in cross-border trade relations by pulling its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) regulations off beef and pork. The AMS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), published its amendments Wednesday in the U.S. Federal Register. The changes, which took effect upon publication, mean […] Read more
Monsanto threatens to exit India over GM royalty row
New Delhi | Reuters –– Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed company, threatened to pull out of India on Friday if the government imposed a big cut in royalties that local firms pay for its genetically modified cotton seeds. Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India), a joint venture with India’s Mahyco, licenses a gene that produces its own […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
