Saying he can't continue to work on a "dysfunctional" board, the farmer-elected director for northwestern Alberta and northeastern B.C. on the Canadian Wheat Board has left the table. Henry Vos, who farms at Fairview in Alberta's Peace River region and has represented District 1 on the CWB board since 2006, resigned his post today in[...]
Peace region’s CWB director quits
CWB suing to block Tories’ grain marketing bill
The federal government's bill to deregulate Prairie wheat and barley marketing is now the target of a second lawsuit questioning the bill's legitimacy. Where a previous pre-emptive suit by supporters of the Canadian Wheat Board had aimed to derail the bill before its introduction, this time the CWB itself and a quorum of its board[...]
Q3 grain handle up at CN, down at CP
The two main handlers of rail-dependent Prairie crops have moved slightly off their third-quarter mark in grain freight revenue, with CN's rising and CP's falling. Canadian National (CN) on Tuesday booked combined grain and fertilizer revenue of $336 million for its fiscal quarter ending Sept. 30, up six per cent from the previous Q3. However,[...]
Russia’s grain trade warned over “excessive” exports
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has told grain traders they had fair warning of plans to introduce protective tariffs on grain if their exports threatened domestic supplies, and told them to avoid signing "excessive" contracts. "Russia will approximately export 24-25 million tonnes of grain... After that we will introduce certain limits in order not to[...]
CWB bill clears second reading in Commons
A government bill to end the Canadian Wheat Board's grain monopoly cleared another stage in the House of Commons on Monday, as Ottawa races to make the most important change to the Prairie grain industry since the Second World War. The Conservative government's bill passed second reading, surviving NDP and Liberal motions to halt it,[...]
Former CWB chairman Ken Ritter, 64
Memorial services will be held Saturday at Kindersley, Sask. for the farmer and lawyer who became the Canadian Wheat Board’s first farmer-elected chairman. Ken Ritter, who farmed at nearby Major, Sask. and chaired the CWB’s board of directors from 1999 to 2008, died Sunday in hospital in Kindersley of complications from the brain cancer with […] Read more
Schulte’s U.S. parent buys Que. snowblower maker
The U.S. owner of ag equipment and snowblower maker Schulte has gone east for its next acquisition in the Canadian market. San Antonio-area manufacturer Alamo Group last week announced it has bought all the assets of Tenco Group, based at St-Valerien-de-Milton, Que., north of Granby, for C$6 million plus the assumption of “certain specified liabilities.” […] Read more
Que. livestock tech brands to join Agco in GSI deal
A Montreal-area group of companies making electronic control systems and software for livestock barns can soon expect to see its brands join the ranks of Massey Ferguson and Challenger as part of Agco. The Atlanta-based ag machinery giant recently announced plans to buy GSI Holdings Corp. from affiliates of Manhattan private investment firm Centerbridge Partners […] Read more
Manitoba urges caution over horse herpes exposure
A group of out-of-province horses showing in southwestern Manitoba in recent weeks may have been exposed to a notorious equine virus before making the trip, provincial animal health officials warn. Manitoba's chief veterinary officer, Dr. Wayne Lees, on Wednesday posted a notice to Manitoba horse owners and veterinarians about three horses at an out-of-province horse[...]
Alta. kills sale of Crown grassland for potato development
A plan to sell a 16,000-acre spread of provincial grazing land and wildlife habitat in southeastern Alberta for irrigated potato production has been shut down by the province’s new premier. The province on Wednesday announced it has cancelled the request for proposals (RFP) that would have led to the land’s sale in a deal dubbed […] Read more