It has been quite the past week in covering the events leading up to the Canada-wide rail strike and lockout. Then on Thursday afternoon, just 17 hours after the lockout began, the federal labour minister initiated Section 107 to force binding arbitration through the Canada Industrial Relations Board. With the union serving a new 72-hour... Read More
Category: Western Canada
The impacts of an impending dual rail strike are already being felt by Canada's export-dependent industries and individual farmers, but the pain is about to get a whole lot worse for businesses and, in turn, Canadians. At a press conference today, several producer groups, including the Grain Growers of Canada, the Canola Council of Canada,... Read More
Agriculture ministers from seven out of ten provinces are calling on the federal government to immediately reverse changes to the capital gains tax that they say are hurting farmers and the agriculture sector. As of June 25, the annual capital gains inclusion rate – the taxable portion of a capital gain, such as the sale... Read More
No matter who wins the next U.S. presidential election, the Canadian beef industry wants Canada to be prepared for what is likely to be a challenging political landscape. Nathan Phinney, president of Canadian Cattle Association, says one point that was made clear during the latest Federal-provincial-territorial meeting at Whitehorse, Yukon, was that the trade relationship... Read More
The list of herbicides that are losing their effectiveness against kochia is growing, leaving fewer tools to control the rapidly-evolving tumbleweed in soybeans. As of 2024, kochia populations in the Canadian Prairies/Northern U.S. Plains region have shown resistance to herbicides in Groups 2, 4, 5, 9, and 14, with some plants showing combined resistance to... Read More
Former Saskatchewan agriculture minister Lyle Stewart has passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 73. Stewart served as member of the provincial legislature from 1999 until 2023. He served as the province's ag minister under premiers Brad Wall and Scott Moe from 2012 to 2018, when he stepped down from the cabinet... Read More
A new soybean crush plant in North Dakota — about 150 miles from the Canada-U.S. border — has started receiving soybeans as it ramps up operations. The North Dakota Soybean Processors (NDSP) facility at Casselton, ND — just west of Fargo — has been designed to process 125 thousand bushels per day and 42.5 million... Read More
Straight-cutting canola without losing significant yield thanks to pod-shatter resistance traits means that farmers have a full range of options when managing canola harvest. The decision on swathing or not isn't always an easy one, but many farmers use swathing as a harvest timing management tool. But when is the right time? What happens if... Read More
This year at Ag in Motion near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture moderated a panel offering insight and the opportunity to provide feedback on the future of pulse plant breeding in the province. Hosted by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, listen below to hear why building a competitive breeding environment is essential for the pulse industry... Read More
There's no denying when a spray clean out has gone wrong — the streaky start to a spray pass with injured plants never seems to happen at the back of the farm, either. There are a few things at play, says Tom Wolf, co-founder of AgriMetrix and Sprayers 101. There's the possibility of active ingredient... Read More