In 2014, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef commissioned a study to assess the beef industry's performance in social, economic, and environmental areas. The results from the two-year 'farm to fork' assessment were published this week, along with a strategy for advancing and measuring sustainability efforts going forward. The findings, which were shared at the... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his directive for a national price on carbon on this week. Farmers and farm groups are concerned agriculture and food could be hard hit by a tax on carbon emissions... Ontario farmers are also concerned rising hydro rates will hurt competitiveness... What are the odds the Trans-Pacific Partnership goes ahead... Read More
With a count of 198 nays to 84 yeas, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith's controversial private member's bill C-246 was voted down in the House of Commons this week. This means the bill is dead and will not move forward to committee. Titled "The Modernizing Animal Protections Act," Liberal MP Erskine-Smith's bill focused on banning shark finning and... Read More
In a world where we're bombarded by Facebook memes and sensational headlines skewing our perceptions about food and health, it's hard for complex, science-based messages to get the attention they deserve. Legitimate scientific work based on replication and the peer review process tends to be complicated, tedious, and, often, boring. Dr. Joe Schwarcz, director of... Read More
Did you know in-bred(parent) corn lines are short wee things? And that gibberella genetic resistance is a multi-gene trait? If ever you've been curious as to where hybrid corn lines originate, this latest Corn School is for you. RealAgriculture's Lyndsey Smith visited Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm to meet with Dr. Lana Reid, corn breeder for…Read More
As we roll into October, some later-seeded soybean yields are coming in better than expected, but there are still some disappointing stories where growers in the driest areas aren't even bothering to harvest their beans. Meanwhile, decisions have to be made for fall weed control and wheat planting as the days get shorter. Peter Johnson,... Read More
Farmers and farm groups are voicing concerns about the impact the carbon tax announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have on farming and food production in Canada. Trudeau said the government will require provinces meet a minimum federal price on carbon of $10 per tonne in 2018, rising to $50 per tonne in 2022.... Read More
Each year, much planning and prep goes into putting on a show of the World Dairy Expo's calibre. Held the first week of October at Madison, WI, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the show, and to honour this golden anniversary, expo organizers went all out. In this quick video below, World Dairy Expo's... Read More
When it comes to potential "step changes" toward higher global crop yields, there are several areas where we could see major developments in the next decade or two, says the of the Saskatoon-based Global Institute for Food Security. The two big targets, as Maurice Moloney shared at the 2016 Agriculture Biosciences Innovation Conference in Fargo,... Read More
A wet harvest has left farmers in many areas of Western Canada considering options for addressing soil compaction. One of the options that's seen increased interest in recent years is the use of cover crops, specifically radishes, to break up root-restricting compacted soil. "Radishes are a cover crop that are being sold specifically for compaction…Read More