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NEWS BITES THAT MATTER
Harvest for Hunger a big success
On October 5th over 3500 farmers and spectators gathered in Monkton, Ontario to attempt a world record soybean harvest. The goal was to harvest 160 acres of soybeans in less than 10 minutes, setting a world record for the fastest harvest.
Over 120 farmers brought combines to the event and harvested the acres in an incredible time of 11 minutes and 43.59 seconds. They didn’t achieve the record for the fastest overall harvest (Manitoba did 160 acres of swathed wheat in 11 minutes and 8 seconds), but they did set the standard for the fastest soybean harvest.
The event was organized by local Christian farmers and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to increase awareness about hunger issues around the world and to raise funds to help feed hungry people in developing countries. The event exceeded their goal of $200,000 through donations and the sale of the harvested soybeans. All funds raised were matched 4 to 1 by the Canadian International Development Agency.
Click for a firsthand account of what it was like inside a combine •
Canada’s largest bakery officially opens
Maple Leaf Foods opened Canada’s largest commercial bakery in Hamilton this fall. The 385,000 square foot facility represents an approximate $100 million investment.
“As Canada’s largest bakery, our new facility is among the most efficient in North America,” says Michael McCain. “We are particularly proud of the environmental features that we engineered into the facility to meet rigorous environmental standards. The new bakery also provides us with dedicated space to support new product innovation, supported by our leadership in providing Canadians nutritious, fresh and wholesome bakery products.”
Three hundred full time jobs and an additional 30 seasonal hourly positions have been created. The bakery will produce white and whole wheat bread, buns, English muffins and tortillas using 100 percent Canadian wheat.•
