Not just mud, but snow…farmers in parts of Western Canada are stuck in the middle of one of the toughest harvests in years. While it’s white in parts of the west, Ontario’s wheat crop is thriving thanks to a warm fall. One of Canada’s largest pork producers has announced plans to expand, while Canada's second... Read More
Category: Western Canada
It might only be the middle of October, but it looks and feels like winter in parts of Western Canada, especially as you move north and west in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Snow and freezing rain have left many canola growers with a helpless feeling as crop that was ready to be harvested is now under... Read More
The further you get away from an event, the more people romanticize about how great it was. This happens with vacations, minor hockey careers, and fishing trips all the time. Unfortunately, farming hasn't escaped these delusional romantic thoughts. History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon. - Napoleon Bonaparte... Read More
The finding is staggering. A recent IPSOS Reid poll found that certain farms achieve five-times higher return on assets because of one key element. Perhaps more surprising is how accessible this element of a farm business is — it's a written business plan. That number is impressive, but even more striking is the associated finding... Read More
After reports this summer that it was moving to Saskatoon, the hosts of the Canadian Finals Rodeo since 1974 say the event is staying in Edmonton. With what was expected to be the last go-round for the rodeo in Edmonton just days away, Northlands and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association announced Wednesday they've reached a... Read More
Hang on and let's go — it's time for this week's episode of Wheat Pete's Word on RealAgriculture.com! To start this week, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist and life-long Wild Man, shares a neat stay-awake reminder for all y'all out there harvesting. Bottom line? Stay safe, and let's get this crop in the bin. From there,... Read More
Dairy farmers across North America are facing a labour crunch. Finding labourers willing to work in agriculture is nothing new. For years, many labour-intensive sectors of agriculture have relied on migrant workers seeking work that average Americans and Canadians are no longer willing to do. But this phenomenon is relatively new in the dairy sector... Read More
Canola seed companies are releasing more varieties with claims they have reduced susceptibility to sclerotinia, but how do they determine those ratings? Coming off a season with high sclerotinia pressure, what does it mean if a variety is labelled as 'partially resistant'? In 2011, the Western Canadian Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee started searching for a test... Read More
A wet harvest has led some Western Canadian farmers to make the switch from tires to tracks on combines, tractors and grain carts. "The tracks are going to give you the decrease in slippage and a bit of extra floatation, and that's what people are looking for right now," notes Marla Riekman, soil management specialist... Read More
Crop hail insurance claims in Western Canada were up around 50 percent in 2016 versus last year. The number of claims rose from 13,222 in 2015 to 19,854 in 2016, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association's final report for the season. It's estimated payouts to farmers will total just over $256 million — well... Read More