People News
The Canola Council of Canada has appointed Curtis Rempel as the new vice-president of crop production. Rempel comes to the CCC from the Richardson Centre Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals facility at the University of Manitoba, where he was acting director. He has been both adjunct professor at U of M and research and development manager at the Richardson Centre.
The University of Saskatchewan has awarded an Honourary Doctor of Science to Ron DePauw, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada wheat breeder at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre in Swift Current. His contributions to the wheat industry in Canada are unparalleled; he has developed over 50 varieties for several classes of spring wheat. His varieties have been extremely well received by prairie farmers, typically occupying more than 50 per cent of the seeded acreage.
The Pickseed Companies Group has announced that Frank Archibald and Michele Darling have been appointed to its board of directors. Archibald is a partner with McMillan LLP, a national business law firm. Archibald’s practice is focused on advising clients on business law matters and in particular on private company acquisitions and financings, joint ventures and specialized shareholder and business structures. Darling has over 30 years of global business experience with expertise in Human Resources Management and Corporate Governance. She is president of Michele Darling and Associates Inc. and provides human resources and strategic planning consulting services to Canadian and American businesses.
Product News
Monsanto Canada plans to change the way farmers purchase its popular Genuity Roundup Ready canola, to make the process simpler for farmers, retailers and Monsanto. Effective for the 2013 crop year, the cost of purchasing Genuity Roundup Ready canola will move to a seamless “in-the-bag” model with one price—a sales model consistent with how farmers purchase seed and technology in other crops like soybeans, corn and wheat. The new sales model significantly simplifies the sales process, as farmers are no longer required to pay a separate technology fee.
Seed Hawk has revealed three of their innovations to farmers which include the Model 1300 air tank, the compact 30 Series combination tank and toolbar and the newly redesigned seed and fertilizer knife assemblies. The research and development team at Seed Hawk tested a 1,300 bushel air tank this spring. The current configuration distributes the 1,300 bushel capacity between one 300 bushel and two 480 bushel tanks with the option to add a 40 bushel tank. Further testing will take place in the spring of 2013. Meanwhile, Seed Hawk’s new 30 Series brings precise seed and fertilizer placement to farming operations of all sizes. The research and development department also has new seed and fertilizer knives in testing. Both new assemblies are composed of three parts: a knife, an air drop tube and a holder. The redesigned system allows each part to be replaced easily and independently of the others.
Bayer CropScience has launched its newest L Series, InVigor Health L156H. This new high-yielding specialty canola hybrid offers growers greater returns by combining InVigor yields with a contract premium. Details on obtaining a specialty canola contract and purchasing InVigor Health will be available through the Cargill Specialty Canola Program in the fall of 2012.
Business News
Canterra Seeds Ltd. and the French-based Group Limagrain have announced an exclusive license agreement for the commercialization of advanced wheat seed varieties for the cereal grain growers of Western Canada. The new alliance will leverage the joint strengths of the companies by developing and testing new and advanced wheat genetics, and by producing and commercializing seed of those products across the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Field performance testing, selection and development of new products will begin with the 2012 crop, followed by commercial production and sales introductions following performance verification and registration.
The name of DuPont’s seed-producing subsidiary has changed from Pioneer Hi-Bred to DuPont Pioneer, retiring what has been one of the most prominent names in agriculture for decades. The change is intended to more closely align Pioneer, which produces seed for major field crops such as corn and soybeans, with DuPont’s crop protection business and nutrition and health business, which develops food ingredients.
The latest addition to Monsanto’s research and development pipeline is the early development of agricultural biological products through new BioDirect technology. BioDirect brings Monsanto’s expertise in plant genomics to chemistry for the first time, enabling products that could provide new options for sustainable pest or virus control.
BASF Canada is launching a new method to measure sustainability in Canada. The company’s new proprietary tool, AgBalance, uses a set of 69 indicators to calculate the social, economic and environmental impact of various farming practices. The results help growers identify the most impactful levers to improve their overall sustainability score. The Canadian AgBalance study will analyze canola production between 1995 and 2010. Data collection has begun and results are expected in the second quarter of 2013.
Richardson Oilseed Limited is increasing crushing capacity at its canola processing plant in Yorkton, Sask., by 25 per cent due to growing demand for Canadian canola and canola products. Richardson will increase processing capacity from 2,400 tonnes of canola per day to 3,000 tonnes per day. With this new expansion, the Yorkton plant will have the capacity to process over one million tonnes of canola per year compared to its current annual capacity of 840,000 metric tonnes. Construction will begin in the fall and is expected to be complete by late 2013.
Monsanto Canada has officially opened its expanded DeKalb canola seed processing plant―home to Monsanto’s North American hybrid canola seed production and manufacturing business. A total investment of C$14.7 million provided for the expansion and upgrade of Monsanto’s existing seed manufacturing operation in Lethbridge and included the installation of seed cleaning equipment, the automation of bulk storage and blending equipment designed to ensure a high quality hybrid canola seed product for farmers and installation of a new computerized control system that manages the entire plant. The Lethbridge site also hosts the company’s parent seed plant and warehouse.
Industry News
The Canadian Wheat Board, as it’s been known since 1943, came to an end August 1, 2012. Several events took place to mark the start of a new marketing era in Western Canada. CWB officials, who have already stopped using the organization’s old name, held a news conference Tuesday morning to mark the “historic move into the new marketing era.” CWB president and CEO Ian White unveiled a new image and logo for CWB, featuring vibrant colours that reflect the green of nature, the blue of the Prairie sky and the gold of the harvest, along with the rays of a rising sun. He also announced that an important grain-handling agreement has been reached with Louis Dreyfus Canada Ltd. to handle grain from farmers who want to market their grain through CWB pools. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was joined by Prime Minister Steven Harper in Kindersley, Sask., to mark the implementation of the new marketing freedom act. “Our Government is committed to creating open markets that will attract investment, encourage innovation, create value-added jobs and build a stronger economy for all Canadians,” said the Prime Minister. “The legislation coming into force today enables Canadian grain farmers to choose how they market their crops and allows the grain sector to evolve, grow and reach its full potential.”
Scientists at the Guelph Food Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in conjunction with the University of Saskatchewan, have been studying the potential of the unusually coloured grain as a food ingredient and for its antioxidant values. “It would also benefit the wheat industry as a whole because you will have more choices for farmers, for producers, food processors and also, at the end of the day, for consumers,” said Guelph research scientist Elsayed Abdelaal. The researchers have been testing the wheat’s yield and ability to perform under Saskatchewan’s growing conditions. Canada’s spring wheat is usually red or white in colour, but it is possible to breed high-anthocyanin blue pigments in these wheat varieties. Abdelaal said the blue or purple wheat could be used in foods like muffins and such dairy products as yogurt. A powder derived from the wheat could be used in skin-care products. It is hoped the research will open new market opportunities for Canada’s farmers and food processors when the project wraps up in early 2015.
A new wheat research information resource has been launched in a bid to help coordinate worldwide research efforts in the fields of wheat genetics, genomics, physiology, breeding and agronomy. The new website provides a central hub for the Wheat Initiative, which aims to coordinate wheat research programs and contribute to food security across the globe. Members of the Wheat Initiative include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, UK, United States and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
In a recent survey of western Canadian farmers, 75 per cent of producers said they believe that the Western Grains Research Foundation’s wheat and barley check-offs are important to producers for variety research. Overall, producers surveyed have a positive perception of WGRF and highly value farmer-directed agricultural research. “In fact, 89 per cent of producers believe it is important to have a research-oriented organization like WGRF,” says Garth Patterson, executive director of WGRF.
The seventh annual report on crop biotechnology impacts shows another year of delivering economic and environmental benefits to the countries where the technology is used. “Over the 15 year period covered in the report (1996 to 2010), crop biotechnology has consistently provided important economic and production gains, improved incomes and reduced risk for farmers around the world that have grown GM crops,” says Graham Brookes, director of PG Economics and co-author of the report.
The Canadian government has invested $1.7 million for Sevita International Corporation to increase production and processing of new soybean varieties. The investment will go towards new equipment that will allow Sevita to process a greater variety of soybeans. The new equipment will enhance traceability, improve safety and quality and introduce new soybean varieties into the marketplace. The company contracts the production of specialty non-GM soybean varieties from more than 250 growers with farms in Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario.
The Government of Canada has announced an investment of over $485,000 to SemiosBIO Technologies Inc. to develop three value-added applications to help farmers improve pest management. SemiosBIO will develop and test a pheromone tracking system for mating disruption pest control, a camera-monitored pest trap application to monitor insect population changes, and software for recording information. This innovative technology will improve safe pest management methods by enabling growers to monitor their crops and orchards for insect activity and take timely, targeted action with biopesticides, such as pheromones, or traditional pesticides if necessary. The new technology will reduce manual labour costs and bring improvements to efficiency, productivity, crop management, and organic farming. It will help meet a growing regulatory and consumer demand for efficient, effective alternatives for pest management. Improved records management will also help open new markets for Canadian crops.
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