There have been some significant rallies in the grain and oilseed market over the last week or two, but as they've trended higher, we're also seeing more volatility. Soybean futures have recently rallied more than a dollar a bushel in U.S. terms and have traded in range of more than 40 cents in the last... Read More
Category: Western Canada
When farmers search for ways to better manage cover crops, seed treatments such as neonicotinoids don't readily come to mind. But that could change if research results from University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Clarence Swanton are proven in field tests. In this episode of Corn School, Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson sits down... Read More
The message to canola growers from the Canola Council of Canada and grain companies over the last few months has been straightforward: Don't apply quinclorac herbicide to canola this year because it could jeopardize exports. Farmers will have to sign a declaration saying their canola has not been treated with quinclorac for it to be... Read More
Dairy farmers who make the switch to robot milkers are very predictable, says Brussels, Ontario farmer Joe Terpstra. When Terpstra and three other dairy producers took to the stage at the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO to share their experiences with robot milking, all four seemed to be singing from the same songbook. Improved cow health,... Read More
Inspired by Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets videos where celebrities read less-than-thoughtful messages sent their way on Twitter, some (celebrity) farmers and people involved in the ag industry have produced "Mean Tweets, Farming Edition." Whether it's the emotions involved in food or something else, people send some pretty nasty tweets to farmers and people involved in... Read More
I had hoped to get this interview out on Friday, as a celebration (as you'll hear) of Earth Day and National Soil Conservation Week in our country. As unfortunate circumstances would have it, work piled up, and eventually the weekend (whatever that is) knocked on the office door. My original intent behind interviewing Jill Clapperton,... Read More
The year is definitely flying by very fast. It only seems like yesterday that famers were rallying about Bill 6 and expressing their displeasure with the possibility of being legislated to offer Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) coverage to employees. As we approach the end of April we are encroaching on the deadline set by the... Read More
Many of the new innovations from machinery companies at Agritechnica's 2015 show seemed to be inspired by transportation issues, and the Seagull Telescopic Reel from STW srl Italy was no exception. The harvester header combines the aforementioned telescopic reel technology with a folding cutting platform to compress widths during transport, allowing the header to shrink... Read More
Producer and grain industry groups are applauding the federal government's plan to extend measures meant to keep grain moving to market by rail. Several provisions implemented during the grain backlog in 2014 as part of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, are scheduled to be repealed on August 1, 2016. On Friday,... Read More
Guelph-based crop protection company Engage Agro is selling a minority stake in its business to a Belgian company that also sells crop protection products for specialty crops, including potatoes and vegetables. Belchim Crop Protection is paying an undisclosed amount in a deal that's supposed to be completed in May. While the company says it will... Read More