The week has started off with more livestock processing issues, as the industry attempts to deal with COVID-19. Cargill's High River, Alta., beef plant is the latest in a growing list of plants to either slow its slaughter line down or shut it down entirely due to COVID-19 risks. According to several sources, the High... Read More
Category: Western Canada
As of April 13, the Government of Canada is allocating $50 million to help farmers, fish harvesters, and all food production and processing employers with support for temporary foreign workers. Even before COVID-19 was an issue, the agriculture and food sectors already faced significant labour shortages. The advent of COVID-19 has delayed many temporary foreign... Read More
We've focused a lot lately on what is going on in the protein sector, which hasn't have a lot of positives as of late. But on the crop side of the fence — oilseeds, coarse grains, pulses — overall, the markets for many crops grown in Western Canada have not been hit as hard by... Read More
It's been a difficult last few weeks in the livestock markets, to say the least. For much of the time we are all focused on making the right decision, but what has been weighing heavily on a lot of people lately has been trying not to make the wrong decision. A wrong decision in the... Read More
For those of us that work from home regularly, good broadband connectivity is essential. But in rural areas of Canada, effective broadband — capable of handling video calls, online classes, and more — is largely unavailable or exceeding expensive. During this global pandemic, thousands of farm and rural residents are sharing the reality of trying... Read More
Agriculture is full of traditions and customs that are passed on from generation to generation on the farm. At the same time, the industry is changing immensely in front of our own eyes creating a very uncertain future. Even pre-COVID-19, agriculture had some real soul-searching to do to meet the challenges ahead in the agri-food... Read More
When it comes to growing canola, clubroot is the disease that really can be detrimental to crop yield, and detrimental to future crops if not managed properly. In Alberta, oftentimes clubroot is thought of to be in the central part of the province, around Edmonton. But as time goes on, it's slowly but surely spreading,…Read More
The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA) has elected a new chair. Daryl Fransoo, who farms near Glaslyn, Sask., was chosen at the most recent Wheat Growers' board meeting. He replaces Jim Wickett of Rosetown, Sask. Fransoo (pictured above right) farms with his father, growing spring and soft white wheat, malt barley, canola, multiple varieties... Read More
Many are wondering what sort of COVID-19 related disruptions producers are facing when it comes to spring operations on their farms. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has launched a weekly survey for Saskatchewan farmers to share how COVID-19 is affecting producers at the farm gate, and the first round of the survey is... Read More
Grain markets closed mostly lower to start April off, as the highs seen last week gave way to some profit-taking and farmer selling. We saw said selling firsthand on the Combyne cash grain marketplace as buyers were able to take advantage of the weaker Canadian Loonie and shore up some coverage before fertilizer deliveries make... Read More