Nutritionally enhanced corn off research menu Friday, March 15, 2013 by BETTER FARMING STAFFUnfavourable market conditions have led BASF Plant Sciences to halt research into the development of a nutritionally enhanced corn. The research, dating back to 2005, was conducted in the U.S. At the same time, BASF has announced that it is expanding research into fungal resistant corn.Fran Castle Rowland, global brand communications senior manager, BASF Plant Science, said in an email that nutritionally enhanced corn would have been a product “only grown and distributed by farmers and elevators when they are enticed by significant premiums. This has been a continuous development and has reached a point where we need to recognize that we will not be successful in achieving the value uplift now required by the industry.” She added it is unlikely they will resume the research. Fungal resistant corn research, she said, “is in its very early stages.”BASF said in a news release that research into fungal resistant corn would be conducted at BASF Plant Science’s global headquarters in North Carolina. “Field testing sites will be located in North Carolina and in the Midwest region of the U.S.” BF Industry OK with proposed changes to seed regulations UPDATED Canada's largest dairy processor closes plant, moves production
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online