Has anything received more talk and less action than Canada’s chronic farm labour shortage? The nagging disconnect between unemployed Canadians and job openings in agriculture hit me this week when Statistics Canada announced that the country had lost more than 31,200 jobs in July. The figure was a surprise to everyone. Economists had predicted a... Read More
Category: Ag Business
There are plenty of questions, but not many answers when it comes to the future of the Port of Churchill. We know its owner, OmniTrax Canada, gave port employees layoff notices on Monday afternoon, with the 2016 shipping season just weeks away. We know OmniTrax is trying to sell the port and received a letter... Read More
Canada's largest distributor of certified seed is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Likely ahead of its time in bringing together industry, universities, government and producer partners, the not-for-profit member association known as SeCan was started in 1976. "The roots are tied very closely to the Canadian Seed Growers Association — seed growers, seed trade,... Read More
WGI Westman Group is adding to its product lineup and manufacturing capacity, acquiring grain and seed handling equipment manufacturer Convey-All Industries. Based in Winkler, Man., Convey-All makes on-farm and commercial conveyor systems, as well as seed tenders. Steel building and fabrication business Nu-Steel Industries is a division of Convey-All. "It's a logical fit for us,"... Read More
Monsanto's Board of Directors says Bayer's latest offer to buy the company is still "financially inadequate and insufficient to ensure deal certainty." Last week, Bayer said it had raised its bid to acquire Monsanto and addressed Monsanto's concerns about regulatory and financing issues. The per-share cash offer was raised from US$122 to US$125. Bayer also... Read More
Mobile phones have become an essential piece of equipment on most North American farms. A study just completed by Ipsos underlines what we've seen here at Real Agriculture — how farmers have fallen in love with and come to rely on their smartphones, even more than the general public. The research firm found over 80... Read More
When Monkton, Ontario-based dairy producers Rick and Theresa Portena planned their recent expansion they decided that a 40-stall herringbone rotary milking parlour would anchor their operation. The Portenas considered milking robots but they’re big fans of parlours. They like to get the milking done as fast and efficiently as possible and they don’t like to…Read More
Thompsons Limited has announced that Rob Wallbridge will join the company as Organic Specialist. Wallbridge grew up on conventional dairy and cash crop farms in Central and Eastern Ontario. He comes to Thompsons with more than 15 years of experience in organic crop certification, production and marketing. Wallbridge is a registered Certified Crop Advisor (CCA-ON)... Read More
A new grains analytical testing laboratory will provide value for farmers, plant breeders and the end users of Ontario cereal crops, says Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). The lab, a joint venture between GFO and SGS Canada, was officially opened during a ceremony this week at its Guelph location. Grain Farmers CEO Barry Senft says... Read More
With Monsanto rolling out its dicamba-tolerant Roundup Ready Xtend soybeans, DuPont has reached a dicamba supply deal with Monsanto for Canada and the U.S. “For several years, DuPont has been testing a solutions-based approach to optimizing weed control using this novel soybean trait and dicamba formulation technology,” said Tim Glenn, president, DuPont Crop Protection, in... Read More