New research suggests that a vaccine for African swine fever virus could be available soon. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced Sept 30 that a vaccine candidate for the highly contagious hog disease has been shown to prevent and effectively protect European- and Asian-bred swine against the currently circulating Asian... Read More

The University of Saskatchewan has launched the Insect Research Facility (USIRF), the first of its kind at a western Canadian university. The new facility will also be one of only a few facilities in Canada specifically designed to conduct research on arthropod plant pests and beneficial insects. Funding for the design and construction of USIRF... Read More

It wouldn't be 2021 if a product shortage wasn't yet again making headlines. This time, it's fertilizer — phosphorus, to be exact, as China plans to essentially eliminate phosphate exports through to June 2022. Josh Linville, director of fertilizer with StoneX, recently joined RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to discuss the latest developments, and why... Read More

North America's most notorious weed has been found in Manitoba. DNA testing has confirmed the discovery of a pair of Palmer amaranth plants in the Rural Municipality of Dufferin, which surrounds Carman. "We knew it was just a matter of time before we see something. These weeds are moving quite rapidly, and unfortunately, we did... Read More

The Ontario government has committed $385,000 to expand “In the Know" to more communities in the province, in an effort to expand mental health support for farmers, their families, and employers. In the Know is a made-in-Ontario mental health literacy program designed for the farming community. It officially launched in March of this year. Currently,... Read More

The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) has named four renowned agri-food experts as distinguished fellows. Dr. Susan Wood-Bohm, Dr. Ellen Goddard, Ted Bilyea, and Nicholas Mesly will "contribute to a thriving and sustainable agri-food system through policy research in the critical areas of environmental sustainability, innovation and animal health, trade, and water," says CAPI. Tyler... Read More

Cleanfarms has announced a return to British Columbia’s interior, holding one-day events at 11 locations September 27 to October 21. Cleanfarms will collect unwanted, old agricultural pesticides and obsolete livestock, equine, and farm animal medications. Cleanfarms operates this no-cost program so that farmers can safely dispose of unwanted materials, keeping them out of the environment.... Read More

Now that the 2021 election is complete and we know who will be returning to Ottawa once Parliament resumes, the focus shifts to cabinet appointments and the upcoming throne speech. As of Friday, Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau has not yet held a post-election press conference, saying he wants to wait until all the votes have... Read More