Ontario is proposing amendments to the Crop Insurance Act, 1996, that, if passed, would mean more types of agricultural products would be eligible for coverage by production insurance. Production insurance, a part of Ontario's business risk management programs, is designed to help farmers manage losses due to events like weather, pests and disease. The costs... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Periods of conflict between family members will make or break a family farm. That’s why it’s important to address conflict like any other risk to a farm business, says a well-known farm family coach from Boissevain, Manitoba. Elaine Froese described the three C’s for managing conflict as part of her presentation at the Ag Excellence... Read More
By Christina Franc Canada exports 600,000 tonnes of forage each year, with an estimated value of $150 million. This market is continuing to grow, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. Selling hay to the UAE opens a world of possibilities, and a world of possible problems, says Alan Gardner of Haydar Group of Companies. None... Read More
It’s not often a farmer gets to show off — and explain — what’s happening in his wheat field on national television during primetime hours. Humphrey Banack of Round Hill, Alberta had the opportunity this fall when he hosted comedian Rick Mercer and his CBC camera crew for a day of combining wheat (if you... Read More
Whether it’s your favourite ag website, the radio or newspaper, Twitter, your area sales rep or the local ag extension office, farmers in Canada and most developed countries have many sources to turn to for expertise. Never mind scarcity, information overload is often a problem. But imagine farming without electricity, without a computer, without the... Read More
Rounding out the middle of November, the markets seemed to pause a bit and then dropped lower as some farmer selling increased and likely the last of U.S. corn and soybeans fields were being harvested for 2014, as most places now have too much snow on the ground. While U.S. soybean crush volumes from October... Read More
Why do we speed when we know it’s wrong? Why do we text while driving? Why smoke, when we know it’s bad? Why continue overusing traditional chemistry herbicide applications when we know they’re causing problems? That’s what Canadian weed scientists want to know. They’re getting frustrated with what seems to be farmers’ general unwillingness to... Read More
It was the Interactive Combine Adjustment (ICA) technology that won John Deere an Ag Innovation Award at Agri-Trade this year. ICA was first released in 2014, and is designed to minimize losses, while optimizing straw and grain quality. The operator is offered the choice between single and multiple optimization targets. Then, s/he receives suggestions for... Read More
An internal disagreement that created concerns about a possible crack in the foundation of Canada's supply management system for chicken appears to have been resolved with the signing of a new national agreement on quota allocation. Alberta withdrew from the national quota allocation program at the end of 2013, arguing the formula for distributing new... Read More
The outlook for grain and oilseed prices might not be as bad — and the cattle market’s trajectory not as good — as the general consensus, according to our guest on TWORA for November 19th, 2014 (click above to listen.) From the Ag Excellence Conference in Winnipeg, Kelvin Heppner chats with FCC chief economist JP... Read More