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
Category: Western Canada
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
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
You've likely seen Environment Canada's Tweet celebrating #WorldFoodDay and thanking farmers...well, some farmers. If not, here it is: Today is #WorldFoodDay. Thanks Farmers! Let’s help keep the planet healthy and productive. Tips here: https://t.co/D4WBHIjjU8 — Environment Canada (@environmentca) October 16, 2016 Seems nice enough, yeah? Well, then you follow the link. It doesn't lead to... Read More
Ontario dairy co-op Gay Lea Foods and BC-based dairy ingredient supplier Vitalus Nutrition have announced a joint investment in dairy processing in Manitoba. The joint venture's plans include upgrading an existing food processing plant in Winnipeg, which will increase drying capacity in Western Canada and expand butter production. “Gay Lea Foods is excited by the... Read More
Just east of Westlock, Alberta, whole fields of standing canola are encased in ice. This latest storm that rolled through late Saturday night was insult added to the injury of five to ten inches of snow that fell Friday, October 14, 2016. These scenes at Westlock aren't rare right now: huge areas of central and... Read More
It all comes down to more acres per day for John Deere’s new F4365 high capacity nutrient applicator. At the recent Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, John Deere product manager Jason Beuligmann showcased the new, 330-cubic-feet dry spinner spreader. He explained that the company’s engineers had two goals in mind for the design –... Read More