Two provincial Crown corporations that administer crop insurance and other financial services for the agriculture sector have named new chief executive officers in the last week. Alberta's Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) and Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) and have appointed Steve Blakely and Jared Munro as CEOs, respectively. Agriculture Financial Services Corporation: “AFSC is... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Simply put, Seed Synergy is described as a process, not an entity. Those familiar with the inner workings of the seed industry have heard about Seed Synergy for quite some time, but those further out — and those on the farm — likely haven't heard much. As Dan Wright, president of Canadian Seed Trade Association,…Read More
Salford is giving growers the ability to apply either in-row, pop-up, or banded granular starter fertilizer with the ease and maneuverability that comes with a planter-mounted fertilizer applicator. The company's new Ferti-GO 4S features a single product hopper, available for mounting on many planter models, with variable rate metering and four-section control. "With this metering... Read More
This has been a very challenging winter for grain shipments, to say the least. Much of the finger pointing has been directed at the railways but should more of the blame fall to more than CN and CP? It's clear operational performance must improve, but the railways have been operating in the environment that they... Read More
Grain markets had another volatile week as we dealt with conflicting bullish and bearish variables including, but not limited to: exports, acreage forecasts, weather forecasts, and currency swings. Sounds like a normal week, right? First, the Canadian dollar lost nearly 2% this week to close under 76.5 cents USD. This is the first time it... Read More
Farm groups in Alberta are applauding the provincial government's effort to advance oil pipelines, thereby taking pressure off the rail freight system. "Team Alberta" sent a letter to Premier Rachel Notley this week expressing support for the Trans Mountain pipeline and other crude oil pipelines. The Trans Mountain line was approved by the federal government... Read More
Pound for pound, the smaller the cow the better she can keep herself cool during those hot summer days. While the total days per year that cause heat stress aren't that numerous for much of Canada, there's a day or two lag in the full impact on the cows. When you add up the hot... Read More
Cattle and lean hogs futures have slid in the past 30 days as livestock producers look to protect themselves from downside risk. Besides oats, which are down 10% in the past month, the protein complex has been the worst performer of all the agricultural commodities in the last month. In the past 30 days: April... Read More
Multiple organizations representing sectors that rely on railways, including Pulse Canada, sent a letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau this week, urging the government to not intervene with measures focused on grain movement in Western Canada. “A singular emphasis on grain has the unintended but inevitable consequence of exacerbating rail service issues for other commodity... Read More
It's fast and it's efficient. That's what growers need to know about the new Nutri-Placer 940 fertilizer applicator. Case IH says its latest fertilizer applicator featuring its high speed low disturbance (HSLD) row unit is capable of speeds up to 11 mph, allowing operators to cover over 900 acres in a 12-hour day. Case IH... Read More