After rolling through a boom and bust cycle over the past few years, the oat market is searching for stability in both supply and demand heading into the 2024 growing season. Record high prices and seeded acres in 2022 led to a dramatic decline in prices and production in 2023. Acres are expected to increase... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up? For many, their career arc is not necessarily what they planned. Many who start in one field discover and become fascinated with another. Others identify opportunities and switch gears accordingly. Some people just fall in to a job they love. When deciding... Read More
The federal and Manitoba governments are committing up to $60 million to complete upgrades to the Hudson Bay Railway and to begin redevelopment of the Port of Churchill. The funding, which will go to the Arctic Gateway Group, was announced by Premier Wab Kinew and federal minister Dan Vandal in Churchill on Friday. “The Port... Read More
Cover crops can be a non-starter in dry areas of the Prairies — or are they? A lack of moisture is definitely a concern when working to establish cover crops; however, over the long term, farmers Derek and Tannis Axten of Axten Farms at Minton, Sask., are finding covers build soil water holding capacity. That's... Read More
The race is on among canola processing companies to supply growing demand in the U.S. for canola oil as a feedstock for lower carbon-intensity fuels. Construction is underway on three of five planned canola crush projects in Saskatchewan, notes Chris Vervaet, executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA), in the interview below. Cargill,... Read More
The dry bean breeding program at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Morden Research Centre in Manitoba will continue for at least another five years under a new arrangement involving McGill University in Quebec and AAFC's Harrow Research Centre in Ontario. An earlier proposal from the federal government would have seen the program cut or moved to... Read More
The odds of much-needed precipitation in Western Canada this spring will depend on how quickly the Pacific Ocean transitions out of El Nino, but even if a switch to La Nina opens the door to more moisture, it likely won't be enough to replenish low water supplies in the driest areas of the Prairies, according... Read More
In Canada, we're pretty good at identifying opportunities for the agriculture sector. As an industry, we are told that what Canada has, the world needs, and that agriculture is an industry with huge earning potential. What we are less good at is taking a shot at those opportunities and turning potential into momentum. How do... Read More
Farm Management Canada is hosting free, one-day farm business practices assessment workshops across Canada beginning later this month. The workshop, Seeding Success: Assess, Act, Achieve!, is open to all Canadian producers and farm families and management teams. The workshop is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, as part of the Sectoral Workforce Solutions... Read More
Western Canadian farmers and ranchers have endured several years of drought over the last five seasons. While AgriRecovery and other national drought programming has been triggered in all the Prairie Provinces, there are other provincial insurance products available. Both Saskatchewan and Alberta have modified moisture deficiency insurance products in the last two years, with Alberta... Read More