Media

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francisco,

This one is for you.LOL


http://business.sympatico.msn.ca/Is organic food worth the money/Features/ContentPosting_Rogers.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=20080 310_155727_4256&feedname=ROGERS-BUSINESS&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subti tle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False

[Fransisco]

Basically a fluff piece. But hey as long as no one is jamming this stuff down my throat I can't get too excited about the inaccuracies on 'hormones' and 'harmful' chemicals.

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Farm Credit Corporation

Agrisuccess

"Quebec milling wheat gains popularity
B Y MA R K C A RDWE L L


Grower-led efforts to improve both the quality of Quebec milling wheat and the reputation of a once-lucrative commercial crop with roots to colonial times are proving highly successful.

“Many companies wouldn’t touch Quebec wheat just a few years ago (because) of quality issues,” says RamzyYelda.

Yelda is director of the wheat marketing board, an organization created in 2005 by Quebec’s commercial grain-growers federation to market wheat to local mills and for export.

“But now that it’s cleaned, blended and
segregated (we get) consistent product that meets specs.” According to Yelda, roughly half of the 140,000 tonnes of wheat grown annually in Quebec is now destined for human consumption.

And that grain, which is mostly high quality spring wheat produced by some 800 marketing board-registered growers,
is being bought up by big mills in Montreal like Archer Daniels Midland and smaller mills that supply flour to local bakeries.

The most notable of the latter is Première Moisson, a 16-bakery chain with a network of 200-plus growers who supply roughly 40 varieties of wheat for the fast-growing, fresh-French-bread market on the island of Montreal.

Yelda says the industry’s rise is creating an economically interesting
alternative for Quebec growers, since milling wheat is worth a lot
more than feed wheat."

UNQUOTE


I did not ask permission to quote this portion, wilagor. It's from a PDF

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EXCERPTS ONLY from:



National Post
2008.04.11

by Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture
Financial Post
Re: Who Caused the World Food Crisis?, Terence Corcoran, April 8

"Mr. Corcoran raised some concerns about global food prices in his April 8 column........"


"Canadian farmers are among the best in the world and they are already growing more than enough grains and oilseeds to meet our needs for both food and biofuels. Only about 4.5% of Canadian crop production is needed to meet our biofuel goals. The results will be dramatic for Canada's environment: the equivalent of taking almost one million cars off the road."
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"......... our government is investing $500-million dollars in the NexGen Biofuels Fund to develop cutting-edge biofuel technologies that can turn waste products, such as straw and woodchips, into valuable commodities and cleaner-burning, renewable fuels."
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" When Canadians buy a loaf of bread, the value of the wheat in that bread is only about 15¢. "
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"As the second-largest donor to the World Food Program(WFP) so far this year, Canada is providing critically needed assistance to people in need. WFP is providing food aid to an estimated 87.8 million people such as refugees, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable populations in 78 countries."

"When the WFP issued an urgent call to help Afghanistan with rising food prices, this government stepped up with $10-million in immediate food aid funding. Canada also provides the Canadian Foodgrains Bank with $20-million annually in support of their efforts to address global food insecurity."

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Gerry Ritz, P.C., MP, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, Ottawa

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APPLICATIONS DEADLINES FOR THE 2007 COVER CROP PROTECTION PROGRAM EXTENDED



OTTAWA, Ontario, April 15, 2008 – The Government of Canada wants to ensure that all eligible farmers who were unable to plant commercial crops in 2007 due to spring flooding have an opportunity to apply for financial assistance. This government today announced that the applicant deadline for the 2007 Cover Crop Protection Program (CCPP) has been extended to June 30, 2008. Additionally, those farmers who filed late applications for CCPP assistance in 2007 will not need to re-submit a declaration.



This announcement, made by the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, will provide eligible farmers with financial assistance to help them restore and protect their flood-damaged cropland.



"The Government of Canada wants to ensure that all eligible farmers have access to the financial assistance required to restore their flood-damaged cropland," said Minister Ritz. “This Government understands the realities of farming and that’s why we’ve extended the deadline.”



The CCPP is a $140 million Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) initiative to help those farmers enrolled in provincial production insurance programs offset the costs of repairing damage to productive farmland. Farmers can also help reduce soil erosion and related damages due to spring flooding or excessive moisture through the CCPP.



Farmers enrolled in production insurance programs will be sent a declaration form by registered mail, along with additional details about program eligibility. Applicants can also call the AAFC toll-free line at 1-800-667-8567 to determine eligibility.



AAFC is working with provincial and industry partners to develop programs and promote sustainable soil management practices to reduce erosion caused by excess moisture. For more information, visit www.agr.gc.ca/ccpp.