Last week, Alberta's government announced details on the Enhancement of Protection of Farm and Ranch Workers Act technical working groups who will bring forward recommendations on what standards will look like under the legislation. After waiting months for the announcement, many in the agriculture community are critical of the government's plan, including who was or... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Monsanto's board of directors has unanimously decided that Bayer's US$62 billion cash offer to purchase the company is "incomplete and financially inadequate." “We believe in the substantial benefits an integrated strategy could provide to growers and broader society, and we have long respected Bayer’s business,” said Hugh Grant, Monsanto Chairman and CEO, in a statement... Read More
Similar to how auto-steer has allowed farmers to focus on other tasks rather than steering while crawling up or down a field, a new California company is testing self-driving semis to make trucking safer and allow drivers to do something else between exits on the interstate. Otto, which announced its existence last week, was founded... Read More
Imagine finding a plate-sized tick on your person. That's the rather disturbing — and epic — analogy Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs gives to offer a visual understanding of the size of a varroa mite compared to its host, the beloved bee. Though not a tick, Varroa destructor are of the class... Read More
Challenging times in the machinery market continue, as tractor sales in Canada slump. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' April data, year-to-date tractor sales in Canada are down 18.6 percent from last year. 4-wheel-drive sales are down 22.1 percent, while 2-wheel-drive sales are down 18.4 percent. Combine sales in Canada are bucking the trend,... Read More
Through the third week of May there has been much discussion around last week’s WASDE report from the USDA, as well as weather affecting planting. Oilseeds continued to make the most moves this week, as led by soymeal (up almost 9% for the week and now +46% since the start of 2016). Soybeans, while up... Read More
The Alberta Government today announced details on the Enhancement of Protection of Farm and Ranch Workers Act (Bill 6) working groups, including that the members for those groups have been selected. "The nomination process to these working groups has identified a broad and diverse range of voices from the farm and ranch sector to provide... Read More
Earlier this week, Brian Perillat, senior analyst with Canfax, joined Shaun Haney to talk about the May 1 cattle report. The report, published Sunday, showed on-feed numbers in Alberta and Saskatchewan up 8%. What caused the bump? "As Brian alluded in that last interview, the cattle that didn't go south — the feeder cattle last... Read More
Monsanto and Bayer both confirmed late Wednesday that there's been communication between the two companies about Bayer buying Monsanto. If a deal between the two ag giants is reached, it would certainly have an impact on Canadian agriculture, particularly in the Western Canadian canola market. RealAg's Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner took some time on... Read More