'Cold trains' match trucks for delivery speed Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Five days a week, a refrigerated train leaves the Port of Quincy in Washington State and carries a load of fresh and frozen produce to Chicago non-stop. The state-of-the-art, 53-foot refrigerated containers are double stacked. Temperatures in the cars are remotely controlled. The four day trip, which compares with a typical train trip of as long as two weeks, is on a par with truck traffic. It is called the Cold Train. A press release issued by operator CTI Freight Systems, a spinoff of the parent company Rail Logistics of Overland Park, Kan., doesn't say that the Cold Train is cheaper than trucks. However, it does say that diesel requirements are lower and the "carbon footprint" is reduced by 50 per cent. From Chicago, Midwestern products are moved west to Washington for local distribution. There are plans to provide service from Washington to markets in Atlanta, Florida, the northeast and even to California, which is next door. BF The most important plant breeding achievement ever A Chinese food 'nightmare' in the making?
EMILI Celebrates 10 Years of Connecting Farmers, Innovators, and Industry Partners Saturday, July 18, 2026 The Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) has received $3.5 million in funding from the Government of Canada to strengthen agricultural innovation and technology adoption in Manitoba. The announcement was made earlier this week during EMILI’s Field Day event... Read this article online
Minnesota Wildfires Threaten Agriculture as Governor Walz Mobilizes National Guard Friday, July 17, 2026 Farmers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and Manitoba are closely monitoring a growing wildfire situation in northern Minnesota after Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to assist firefighting efforts. The decision... Read this article online
Woodland Mills Expands Portable Sawmill Capacity Friday, July 17, 2026 Woodland Mills has introduced the HM126MAX Portable Sawmill, a new machine designed to provide greater cutting capacity and improved lumber production for customers. The latest model builds on the success of a long-standing portable sawmill platform while offering enhanced performance and... Read this article online
Asian Vegetables Like Bok Choy Grown Right Here in Ontario Friday, July 17, 2026 When you think of vegetables grown in Ontario, do you think of ethic vegetables? Also known as pak choy or Chinese cabbage, bok choy has become an increasingly important crop for Ontario's vegetable industry, driven by growing consumer demand for fresh, locally produced ethnic... Read this article online
Survey aims to amplify voices of rural Ontarians Friday, July 17, 2026 New surveys for rural Ontarians are helping people in these communities paint a comprehensive picture of what life is like. “For too long, rural communities have lacked access to reliable, credible and reflective data,” Leith Deacon, a professor at University of Guelph’s School of... Read this article online