U.S., SAUDI FIRMS TO BUY FORMER CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD . . . NOVA SCOTIA INVESTS TAX DOLLARS FOR MINK FARM RESEARCH . . . NEW DISEASE IN BLUEBERRIES RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT LOSSES . . . GROUP: N.S. DOING WELL ON CUTTING EMISSIONS . . . TANYA HOWE DAMSGAARD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

U.S., SAUDI FIRMS TO BUY FORMER CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD
Source: The Globe and Mail
The company formerly known as Canadian Wheat Board has found a buyer. A joint venture between food company Bunge Canada and SALIC Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co., will pay $250 million for a majority stake in grain trader now known as CWB. The joint venture known as G3 Global Grain Group said on Wednesday the rest of the grain trader will be held by farmers. (read more)

NOVA SCOTIA INVESTS TAX DOLLARS FOR MINK FARM RESEARCH
Source: Assoc for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals
Nova Scotia is continuing to ignore the issues plaguing their landscape to court the financial possibilities of the fur industry with a $500k investment into research. “Both financially, and with respect to farm management, Aleutian disease has been our biggest challenge for more than 50 years,” Matt Moses of the Nova Scotia Mink Breeders Association told The Chronicle Herald. “If we were able to pinpoint which segment of DNA within the animals determines their tolerance to the virus, that would be big.” (read more)

NEW DISEASE IN BLUEBERRIES RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT LOSSES
Source: The Island Farmer
While Sclerotina Berry Drop is a relatively new disease impacting the blueberry crop, a scientist who helped identify the fungus suspects it has been lurking in the shadows for some time. Dr. John Sutton is a plant health consultant based in Ontario, who has been conducting field trials in P.E.I. since 2010. Right from the beginning, he noticed there were black dots about the size of a pinhead on the flowers, berries, and leaves. For the first two years, he said they essentially ignored the spots but then they decided to look into the matter further. (read more)

GROUP: N.S. DOING WELL ON CUTTING EMISSIONS
Source: The Chronicle Herald
Nova Scotia is rarely held up as a champion of environmental progress. So enjoy the following statement. “Pretty good, actually,” Catherine Abreu said of Nova Scotia’s record on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The energy coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax acknowledged the irony of someone in her position praising the province as a leader on the climate change front. Nova Scotia and Quebec are the only provinces on track to meet post-Kyoto accord goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 10 percent below 1990 levels. (read more)

TANYA HOWE DAMSGAARD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Source: Howe Family Farm
The Howe family has set up a memorial scholarship in memory of Tanya Howe Damsgaard open to upper year university students who are pursuing a career in agriculture, pharmacy, or the sciences. We are currently accepting applications to award the first scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year. The application deadline in June 1, 2015. (read more)