In the news
NEWS BITES THAT MATTER
Atlantic Biodiesel grand opening
Atlantic Biodiesel officially opened its renewable fuel facility in Welland on June 25. The grand opening was attended by government officials, community supporters, and industry representatives, including Grain Farmers of Ontario District 6 director Gerry Prentice.
Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson led the ribbon cutting ceremony along with Michael Paszti, chief operating officer of Atlantic Biodiesel, and Andrea Kent, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.
The facility is one of the largest biodiesel facilities in North America. It will produce 170 million litres of biodiesel per year and 15 million litres per year of high-grade glycerin. The biodiesel is made from vegetable oil processed mainly from soybeans and canola. Rail infrastructure at the site will allow for expanded storage and shipping ability to a range of North American markets. Atlantic Biodiesel has its own railcar fleet and on-site storage for more than 70 railcars. •
Growers to harvest Dow seeds
Growers that planted Hyland and Mycogen Seeds will harvest Dow Seeds. In July, Dow AgroSciences launched a new seed brand in the Canadian marketplace — Dow Seeds. Dow Seeds will include the best of both Hyland Seeds and Mycogen Seeds, a deeper portfolio, and renewed focus on customer success.
“To ensure all our customers have access to our best genetics in this period of rapid advancement in traits and technology, we are introducing one new seed brand combining all the resources of Dow AgroSciences into a single, focused effort,” says Brad Orr, president, Dow AgroSciences Canada.
“The goal of the Dow Seeds team is to make the right product recommendations, in the right fields, at the right time. Our sales and agronomy team will work together with the St. Marys, Ontario-based research and development team to deliver even greater regional understanding to our customers,” added Jeff Loessin, general manager, Dow Seeds Canada.
Dow AgroSciences is looking forward to building the Dow Seeds brand presence in Canada. The company’s technology includes Herculex™, SmartStax®, Refuge Advanced, and BMR silage-specific corn hybrids. Its investment in innovation is set to continue with the introduction of the Enlist™ Weed Control System in corn and soybeans, PowerCore™ above-ground insect control for corn, and a 14,000 square foot expansion of the Ontario research facility in St Marys, Ontario.
Further information on Dow Seeds is available at DowSeeds.ca. •
Using Twitter for a safe harvest
We all know that harvest is a busy and stressful time on the farm, and Syngenta Canada wants to remind farmers to keep safety in mind as they’re busy in the fields. Syngenta will be sharing daily harvest safety tips on Twitter using the hashtag #SafeHarvest from August 1 to October 31. The tweets will include links to farm safety videos, articles, and websites. Consider retweeting these safety messages to your fellow farmers.
“Social media such as Twitter provides an excellent channel to connect with farmers on the important message of farm safety during the busy harvest season,” says Teresa Falk, digital marketing lead with Syngenta Canada.
The #SafeHarvest campaign began two years ago to help improve safety during a farm’s busiest time of year. Over the past two years, hundreds of safety tips have been shared reaching thousands of farmers. The goal for this year is to reach even more farmers with valuable safety messages and help protect lives.
“This campaign plays an important role in helping keep our farm communities safe and we look forward to continuing it. We at Syngenta want all Canadian farmers and their families to stay safe and have a successful harvest season,” says Falk.
Do you have a harvest safety tip for your fellow farmers? Share it on Twitter using the hashtag #SafeHarvest and you’ll be entered to win valuable safety equipment prizes from Syngenta. Prizes include first aid kits, fire extinguishers, safety harnesses, and more.
For more details on the #SafeHarvest campaign including safety tips and resources visit http://www.syngentafarm.ca/safeharvest. •
