Rail blockades near Belleville, Ont. and in northern B.C. in support of a B.C. oil pipeline standoff in Wet'suwet'en territory will soon begin to significantly impact CN Rail's network if they're not removed, the company says. CN Rail notes the blockades are unrelated to CN's activities, however the Belleville line is CN’s only eastern link... Read More
Category: Western Canada
With multiple wet harvest years in central and northern Alberta, many producers have invested in a grain dryer, or are certainly looking into it. Scott Keller, a farmer from near New Norway, Alta., recently dug in to the numbers surrounding the cost and benefits of owning a grain dryer. Keller first set up a grain... Read More
Eligible farmers in Alberta can access funding for grain dryer upgrades from a $2 million fund through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The Efficient Grain Dryer Program will be retroactive to April 1, 2018, to accommodate almost 100 applicants who have been waiting since that time, along with those who may not have known about... Read More
The University of Calgary's School of Public Policy (SPP) has announced the creation of the Simpson Centre for Agricultural and Food Innovation and Public Education. The Centre is named after Calgary rancher and businessman John Simpson, who contributed more than $5 million to establish the school. “Several years ago, the school launched an initiative to... Read More
Starting this month, the Farm Freedom and Safety Act (FFSA) has come into effect. Put in place by the Alberta Government, the Act — known as Bill 26 — is a replacement of Bill 6, introduced by the previous NDP government. In it, there's changes to current employment, workers compensation coverage (WCB), and occupational health... Read More
One of the questions that come up this time of the year, when it comes to the growing season, is — what do the pest forecasts look like for 2020? Boyd Mori, assistant professor in agricultural entomology, at the University of Alberta, was at FarmTech in Edmonton, Alta, and broke down the top 5 insects... Read More
The Scoular Company has sold its edible bean business, which includes processing plants in southern Manitoba and the northern U.S., to a farmer co-op based in Michigan. Cooperative Elevator Co. is expanding its geographic footprint with the acquisition of Scoular's edible bean operations, which includes processing facilities at Plum Coulee and Morden, Manitoba, and St.... Read More
Crop planning is well underway in the Prairies, and you may be in the middle of choosing what crop will go where. Of course, there are many things to consider, but looking at your soils is a large part — especially if you are growing pulses. Nevin Rosaasen, policy and program specialist with Alberta Pulse... Read More
Weed surveys conducted in the Canadian Prairies since the early 2000s have tracked the incidence of herbicide resistance over time, and it's not looking good. "In general, what we're seeing is herbicide resistance is increasing on the Prairies," says Charles Geddes, research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. "Currently, we're sitting at — in Saskatchewan —... Read More
After several years of discussions around a possible farm group merger, it's time for Manitoba farmers to make a major decision regarding the future of provincial commodity organizations. The five groups that administer check-offs for funding research and market development on spring wheat and barley, corn, sunflowers, flax, and winter cereals will each vote on... Read More