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Photo: McCain Foods Ltd.

McCain acquires predictive crop technology

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McCain Foods Ltd. has purchased predictive crop intelligence technology from Resson, a ‘vision intelligence technology’ firm headquartered in Fredericton, N.B. McCain has been a long-time partner with Resson, working together for nine years to develop algorithms that forecast farm yields using remote sensing technology. The technology will enable producers to make more appropriate decisions through […] Read more
Signage outside McCain’s Farms of The Future site at Florenceville-Bristol, about 110 km northwest of Fredericton. (Photos courtesy McCain)
Crops

Learning from McCain’s regenerative farming practices

Potato processing giant aims to 'de-risk' practices for growers

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In 2021 McCain said it was going to launch three regenerative potato farming operations by 2025 and would label them “Farms of the Future.” The first, just outside of Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., now offers data to reflect on the effectiveness of the practices at the potato farm after its first fully operational season. “If we don’t […] Read more
Kellogg’s Canadian operations include its Mini-Wheats plant at Belleville, Ont. and its Canadian office in Mississauga. Other cereals and snack brands imported by Kellogg Canada are produced elsewhere in North America, the company says. (Kellogg Co. photo)
Crops

Kellogg to spin off into three food companies

Plant-based foods, North American cereals to be hived off

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The company that makes Mini-Wheats cereal, Pringles potato crisps and MorningStar veggie burgers now plans to see those each of those three product lines go their separate ways by the end of next year. Michigan-based Kellogg Co. said Tuesday its board has approved a plan to break into three yet-to-be-named independent publicly-traded companies by way […] Read more
Close-up file photo of an alfalfa plant in a Canadian field. (Jennifer Seeman/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

P.E.I. seed potato producers backed for ‘soil-building’

Province puts up $3 million for BMP program

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In an attempt to support its potato farmers following trade suspensions with the U.S. over potato wart, the government of Prince Edward Island plans to put up $3 million in new funding for a program that will help farmers shift to “soil-building crops.” “In our meetings with industry and the P.E.I. Potato Board, the need […] Read more
A sign with McDonald’s golden-arches logo is on display near one of the chain’s restaurants in Moscow on May 16, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina)
Markets

Golden arches to go dark in Russia as McDonald’s exits after 30 years

Russia, Ukraine form nine per cent of chain's revenue

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Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. on Monday became one of the biggest global brands to exit Russia, laying out plans to sell all its restaurants after operating in the country for more than 30 years following the invasion of Ukraine. The world’s largest burger chain, which owns about 84 per cent of its nearly 850 restaurants […] Read more
The Spornado, shown here in a potato field, uses specialized filters to trap fungal spores from water and air. The filters are then analyzed for the presence of fungal pathogen spores, allowing for early detection and management.
Crops, News

Canadian early alert system expands services for fungal crop diseases

Spornado can detect fungal spores in many crops and help growers make targeted spraying decisions

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Last year, a made-in-Canada system to alert farmers to the presence of airborne crop pathogens was showcased as one of Canada’s top 101 Most Innovative Predictive Analytical Companies.  The Spornado is a simple and low cost in-field tool that passively traps air- and waterborne spores on specialized filters. Those filters are then analyzed for the […] Read more
(Government of Alberta via Flickr)
Crops

Alberta seeding ahead of five-year average

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MarketsFarm — While spring planting in Alberta is 12.2 per cent complete overall there’s a disparity between the south and the rest of the province. Also, the pace was 2.6 points above the five-year average, but 5.2 behind last year. As of Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture found seeding in the south was at 36.5 per cent […] Read more
File photo of a P.E.I. potato field against the backdrop of the Confederation Bridge. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

P.E.I. table stock potato exports to U.S. now allowed

New U.S. order replaces previous requirements; seed potatoes still blocked

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Exports of Prince Edward Island table stock potatoes are again officially allowed to enter the mainland United States, after new U.S. entry rules regarding potato wart were published Friday. Canada’s federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said on Twitter that officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are now preparing to certify exports of eligible […] Read more
With no new products in the pipeline and fewer options due to re-evaluation, resistance or supply issues, producers need to be nimble when it comes to weed control options.
Crops

Living without Linuron in the tank

Growers will have to alter practices and mix and match other products to control weeds

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When the 2020 re-evaluation of herbicide Linuron dropped the application rate for potatoes, growers thought they would be off the hook until 2023, when the new rate comes into effect.  However, the registrant ran into regulatory issues after sourcing a technical active ingredient from a new provider. That pushed back production, causing supply issues.  “It […] Read more
Federal Conservative ag critic and Alberta MP John Barlow speaks with P.E.I. potato grower Alex Docherty (r) in a March 18, 2022 photo. (John Barlow photo via Facebook)
Crops

Mainland U.S. moving to resume P.E.I. potato imports

P.E.I. growers get 'certainty' for spring planting, Bibeau says

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Exports of fresh potatoes from Prince Edward Island to the mainland U.S. are expected to resume “soon” as U.S. officials move to put new rules in place for such shipments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said Thursday that Canada “is expected to soon resume exporting (P.E.I.) table stock […] Read more

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