Bogota | Reuters –– Colombia will suspend aerial fumigation of illegal coca plants in light of a number of studies linking the herbicide involved to cancer, a move that marks the end of a decades-long strategy in the country’s fight against drug trafficking. Spraying coca leaves, which are used to make cocaine, has been a […] Read more
Colombia calls off aerial coca spraying
Guenther: Reseeding already considered in parts of Sask.
While farmers in northwestern Saskatchewan are getting seed into the ground, warm weather tops their wish lists. Frost is “going to be our biggest enemy here, coming up this weekend, I think,” said Geoff Schick, assistant location manager for AgriTeam Services at Glaslyn, Sask., about 65 km north of North Battleford. As of Friday, weekend […] Read more
Former Man. agriculture minister won’t run again
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger’s first agriculture minister plans to exit the provincial political arena. Stan Struthers, the MLA since 1995 for what’s now the Dauphin riding, and agriculture minister from 2009 to 2011, announced Wednesday he won’t seek re-election when the next provincial vote is held in April 2016. Struthers, a high school principal at […] Read more
El Nino has emerged, Asia braces for crop damage
Singapore | Reuters –– In 2009, the El Nino brought the worst drought in four decades to India. It razed wheat fields in Australia and damaged crops across Asia. Food prices surged. A closely watched forecast by Japan on Tuesday confirmed its return this year. A strong El Nino will roil economies that are heavily […] Read more
Prairie farmers set fastest planting pace in a decade
Winnipeg | Reuters — Western Canada’s farmers are sowing crops at the speediest pace in about 10 years, which bodes well for an early, large harvest this autumn. More than half of the region’s farmland is planted, compared with the usual pace of one-quarter, due to dry conditions, said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist […] Read more
Salford to buy applicator maker Valmar
Prairie manufacturing firm Valmar Airflo, known for its farm-, commercial- and research-grade granular applicator systems, is under new ownership. Valmar, set up in 1977 at Elie, Man. by farm mechanic, crop duster and inventor Charlie Balmer, has been sold to Ontario seeding and tillage equipment firm Salford Group for an undisclosed sum. Valmar will continue […] Read more
NDP wave pulls down Alta. Tories, ag minister
Alberta’s incumbent agriculture and rural development minister is among the casualties of the provincial New Democrats’ unprecedented majority in Tuesday’s election. Verlyn Olson, the MLA for Wetaskiwin-Camrose since 2008, the province’s ag and rural development minister since 2012, and its acting justice minister for about a week and a half, was downed by NDP candidate […] Read more
Canada, U.S. toughen oil train safety standards
Washington/New York | Reuters — The U.S. and Canada on Friday announced long-awaited safety rules for trains carrying oil, as regulators seek to reduce risks after a series of explosive accidents that accompanied a surge in crude-by-rail shipments. The rules call for a rapid phase-out of older tank cars considered unsafe during derailments, and are […] Read more
Drier bias seen on horizon for Manitoba
CNS Canada — Warm and dry weather is allowing for a good start to spring seeding in Manitoba, but that dryness could pose problems down the road as its longer-term outlook is also on the dry side, according to meteorologist Drew Lerner. Temperatures on Thursday in Manitoba were hitting levels more normally seen in the […] Read more
PotashCorp, Mosaic profits climb less than expected
Reuters — North America’s two biggest potash producers, PotashCorp and Mosaic Co., reported larger first-quarter profits on Thursday, but results missed expectations. Saskatoon-based PotashCorp, the world’s biggest fertilizer maker by market capitalization, cut its full-year profit forecast, and both companies warned potash prices could slide. Prices are yet to recover after a collapse in 2013, […] Read more
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