The Canadian economy has been healthy as of late, which has many farmers with higher debt levels somewhat concerned about interest rate increases in the near future. Farmers have enjoyed a low interest rate environment for quite some time, but the reality is - the Bank of Canada has some some decisions to make. Additionally... Read More
Category: Podcasts
Last week when Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall announced he is retiring from public politics, ag twitter exploded with an outpouring of kind words and mentions of sorrow that the unofficial leader of conservatives across from Western Canada will no longer be there to represent them. So what is it? Why did Premier Brad Wall have... Read More
Friday's RealAg Radio podcast, hosted by Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner — highlights: Colin Woodall of NCBA on why they're optimistic beef trade will not be hurt in the NAFTA renegotiation; David Wiens, vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, in Washington, noting allies in U.S. dairy; Don Close, senior animal protein analyst with Rabobank, on... Read More
People from all corners of the cattle business in Canada were at Stampede Park in Calgary this week for the second annual Canadian Beef Industry Conference. Attendance was up over last year, with over 700 registered attendees and banquet attendance on Wednesday night topping 820. "We were hoping to build on the success of last... Read More
The combination of increased soybean acres and high soybean aphid pressure on the prairies in 2017 has sparked conversations about thresholds, beneficial insects, and how to decide when spraying is warranted. The economic threshold for soybean aphids in Canada has traditionally been 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of plants, with the population still... Read More
Lygus bugs are known for attacking canola, alfalfa and sunflowers (you can probably blame the lygus for that gross seed), but they can also be a significant pest in fababeans — especially after their canola food source is harvested. In general, lygus bug species like to feed on the reproductive parts of plants. "Similar to... Read More
As the clash between the U.S. and Canadian dairy industries escalates in the NAFTA talks, Dairy Farmers of Canada has found some allies in U.S. dairy outside of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Federation. In the National Post on Friday, Darin Von Ruden, who has a 50-cattle, multi-generational farm and heads... Read More
Not often do you hear of wheat outyielding corn, but that's the case in our latest episode in the 'Real' Wheat Farmers series. RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson can barely contain himself when Arthur, Ontario farmer Shawn Schill of Shawridge Farms tells him that one 200-acre field yielded 154 bu/ac of wheat, beating the average... Read More
With the NAFTA renegotiations starting this week, officials with the U.S. National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) were in Calgary for the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, showing their support for the relationship between the two countries. Representatives from both the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and NCBA plan on heading to Washington for the anticipating beginning of the... Read More
Trade and market access are always major topics at cattle industry meetings, but with the renegotiation of NAFTA becoming reality, there was a little extra emphasis on the politics of trade this week at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary. If there were any questions about how unified cattle producer groups from Canada, the... Read More