This week’s ag news podcast, including harvest progress, federal party policies on GMOS, the first StatsCan production estimates and a discussion about to what length farmland should be protected for farming: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down — Should Farmland Status be Made Permanent? Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS
Category: Features
According to Statistics Canada, over half a million acres of productive (class 1-3) farmland was "settled" between 2000 and 2011. This "settled area" on dependable agricultural land grew by 19 percent in Canada, with the largest increase happening in southern Ontario and Quebec. The loss of farmland isn't a new phenomenon (the last time people... Read More
Coffee shop talk is often revered and repeated, but is it completely honest? What if, instead of comparing your farm and farm practices across the fence row, you instead sat down with farmers from one hundred kilometers away and compared notes? What could you learn? That's the concept behind formal peer advisory groups, explains Dr... Read More
Grain markets this week took a hard tumble as, on Wednesday, the USDA performed a dramatic leg sweep of the market with their August WASDE report. It completely blew most expectations out of the water as to where supply for the 2015/16 year sat. Instead of U.S. corn and soybean yields dropping to 164.5 and... Read More
It’s a humid Chicago evening, and I’m here vacationing with my family, drooling over a deep-dish pizza at Pizano’s noisy outdoor patio near Millennium Park, down the street from what’s commonly called the bean. Rain swept through the area earlier, and now that sticky Great Lakes weather is all over us. Indeed, it’s summer at... Read More
Much of southern Ontario received another well-timed rain this week — well-timed for filling out corn and soybeans, which has RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson celebrating on this week’s. There’s also good news coming from the wheat harvest, with average to above average yields in “managed” fields north of London — even a report of 135+... Read More
There are only so many hours in a week to get things done. During busy seasons, such as harvest, that means many farms operate seven days a week, trying to make the most of the limited resource we call time. Others still choose to take a break once every seven days, whether it's for faith-related... Read More
Grains this week were a bit boring as rain landing in most growing areas across North America and even Australia prompted a few estimate increases despite the lingering threat of an El Niño. Friday did bring some action as a lower U.S. dollar and some strong U.S. export sales helped pull the complex higher for... Read More
With one of the longest federal election campaigns in our history in front of us, it’s reasonable to expect all sectors, including agriculture, will get an unusual amount of attention. Right now, as that campaign revs up, those who want to lead our country are still getting their sea legs. To help, here are some... Read More
This week’s Canadian ag news update, including the latest on harvest, the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks and the last days of the CWB: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Is Dropping the CWB Brand the Right Move? Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS