Another year gone and another harvest in the books for farmers in the West. This year had its share of difficulties, with wet conditions delaying and in some cases completely destroying efforts to get a crop in in some areas. For those farmers that did get a crop in, the threat of disease loomed heavy... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The area of biofuels is growing every year. The list includes everything from algae to canola to switchgrass to corn. The main problem with most of the list is the difficulty in mass producing those sources or the ethical dilemma created with the food vs fuel debate. Carinata holds the advantage over many of the... Read More
The CWBs latest attempt to rally support and gain a hearing is an ad campaign designed under the name "stop the steamroller". The print, radio and video campaign focuses on a steamroller with the caption " This is how the Harper government harvests Canadian wheat". The ads, paid for by CWB pool funds, were... Read More
Earlier this week we spoke to Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz about why he thinks the elimination of the single desk will be beneficial to farmers and why he is so passionate about that position. Not everyone shares the exuberance Minister Ritz has over the new marketing landscape for wheat in Western Canada. One of... Read More
Are you having trouble looking down the line at the canola markets? You're not alone. There are a number of sources sending mixed signals to producers. On one hand when we look at the charts, we see that the January-March futures indicate a strong sell (according to Barchart). On the other hand we see fundamentals... Read More
Yesterday I attended a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon. This was not just any ordinary lunch because it was attended by the Calgary ag-business community and they were all there to listen to the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz. Mr. Ritz spoke to the group about why he feels so strongly regarding the coming... Read More
Once your corn is in storage, the story isn't over. There are still some aspects that need controlling and monitoring in order to maintain the value and quality of your crop. Conditioning your corn isn't as simple as turning on the fan. Proper airflow is essential to even and effective aeration of your crop. Anything... Read More
Ethanol has been the subject of scrutiny regarding a number of issues, from its impact on corn prices to its effect on food production even its impact on the cattle and hog industries. The Conference Board of Canada released this week the results from its look at the industry. The report focuses on the impact... Read More
When the initial court challenge by the Canadian Wheat Board was launched against the federal government you knew it wouldn't go unanswered. The first of those legal responses was launched this week by the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. The reasoning behind it stems from the CWB's use of pool funds to launch their suit... Read More
This years harvest samples show an alarming rise in ergot infection in wheat crops. The information comes from a Canadian Grain Commission report that shows upwards of 20 percent of western Canadian wheat crops have some degree of ergot infection. Ergot tolerances are very tight due to the toxic qualities of the ergot body that... Read More