Excellence
1 Peter 2:12
Mediocrity is fast becoming the byword of our times. Every imaginable excuse is now used to make it acceptable, hopefully preferred. Budget cuts, time deadlines, majority opinion, and hard-nosed practicality are outshouting and outrunning excellence. Those forces seem to be winning the race. Incompetence and status quo averages are held up as all we can now expect, and the tragedy is that more and more people have virtually agreed. Why worry over the small stuff? Why bother with the genuine now that the artificial looks so real? If the public buys it, why sweat it?
Policy reform seen as top post-election priority
New mandate called good time to overhaul business risk management programs and other policies that could help agriculture
Prime minister Mark Carney will name his cabinet May 12, and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has some advice for the incoming agriculture minister.
Kody Blois from the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants served briefly after Carney replaced Justin Trudeau and is a strong candidate to continue.
CANTERRA SEEDS buys pedigreed seed firm Alliance Seed
CANTERRA SEEDS recently announced it would be acquiring Alliance Seed, saying the move would strengthen their seed business and expand distribution across Western Canada.
The pedigreed seed operation will continue to operate as a standalone brand under CANTERRA SEEDS’s umbrella, with key staff transitioning to maintain continuity and customer relationships.
Brent Derkatch, CEO of CANTERRA SEEDS says Alliance Seed has built an impressive portfolio and a network supported by committed seed growers.
Bunge Viterra merger remains stalled
It appears the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China are delaying the proposed merger between Bunge and Viterra.
China has not yet approved the $34 billion merger between the two ag giants.
The deal has received antitrust clearance from the European Union and Canada, but the transaction remains stalled in China
due to what many people say is a result of trade tensions between the United States and China.
The merger was originally announced in 2023.
Avian Influenza update
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has declared a primary control zone for avian influenza in Manitoba.
The CFIA says it has declared the Rural Municipality of Boissevain-Morton a primary control zone.
The status means that specific measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of the disease through movement restrictions and permits.
To date, 17 premises in Canada have been identified as being infected with AI, including two in Manitoba, three in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba.
India urged to bring back pea tariff
The government isn’t thought to be in a hurry to impose a large duty on yellow peas as it takes steps to reduce food inflation.
India’s pulse trade is pushing for the government to implement a large tariff on imported yellow peas.
Bimal Kothari, chair of the India Pulses and Grains Association, recently told the Hindu Businessline that he wants to see a 50 per cent import duty on the crop to ensure the landed price is equivalent to the government’s minimum support price for desi chickpeas.
Flea beetles continue to be the most significant pest threat to canola crops
The Canola Council of Canada's 2024 grower survey asked growers to identify the diseases, weeds, and insects posing the greatest economic risk to the crop. Flea beetles topped the list once again, maintaining their position from the 2022 and 2020 surveys.
After four-year wait, The Color drop new single
After four years of waiting, two-time Juno-award-winning Christian band, The Color, has released new music.
The new track, "Heartbeat," hit all streaming platforms on Friday.
Mosquito control operations begin today in the City of Grande Prairie
The City of Grande Prairie is starting its annual mosquito control operations today, to help reduce mosquito populations and help residents make the most of warm weather.
Work begins in spring and can continue through to September depending on the weather. The program targets mosquito larvae in standing water using a product approved by Health Canada that is designed specifically to control mosquitoes.
Fairview RCMP executes search warrant in Blue Sky
On May 6, 2025, Fairview RCMP received a complaint regarding an assault with a weapon. The suspect was identified and, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the suspect may be in illegal possession of firearms. On May 7, 2025, members of the Fairview detachment executed a search warrant on two RV trailers and vehicles on a vacant property in Blue Sky, Alta., in relation to this assault.
As a result of the search warrant, the following items we seized: