Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall announced Thursday that Alanna Koch, who has served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture since 2007, has been appointed to the province's top public servant role. Koch will replace Doug Moen as the new Deputy Minister to the Premier effective July 1st. “Alanna Koch has shown tremendous leadership over the past eight... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Planting is in the home stretch, and ahead of normal in many areas as spraying season begins. Monsanto has said “no thanks” to Bayer and its $62 billion takeover bid, and Alberta’s government is facing another round of criticism over Bill 6 as it has unveiled the committees that will help shape the province's new... Read More
Headlines in mainstream news last week declared that genetically engineered (GE) crops are no more dangerous to humans than conventional crops following the release of a major study looking at the risks and benefits of GE crops. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published what many have called the most thorough review to... Read More
Most modern boom sensors look to the terrain immediately ahead to adjust for changes in terrain. Besides mitigating the risk of drift, these systems also offer one less thing for the sprayer operator to have to worry about. Horsch's new BoomSight offers a slightly different, higher perspective. BoomSight was unveiled by Horsch at Agritechnica in... Read More
A private member's bill tabled in the House of Commons last week aims to reduce the tax burden of intergenerational transfers of farms that are incorporated. "My bill would end a blatantly unfair situation that puts business people, farmers, and fishing vessel operators at a disadvantage when they want to pass their business on to... Read More
Looking for an update on Ontario agriculture? Having issues with stripe rust, or fusarium? Wondering what this "flag test" is all about? Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, returns to answer questions and share his agronomic insight in his weekly update — the Word. Skip to Podcast Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311,... Read More
If a corn plant emerges one, two or three days after its neighbour, will it yield less? Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson is determined to find out. At the SouthWest Ag Conference last January, National Corn Growers Association yield contest champion Randy Dowdy challenged growers to plant a flag test on their farm to…Read More
The private real estate company that co-owns the Winnipeg Jets has exercised an option to invest another $3.2 million in precision ag business Farmers Edge. Toronto-based Osmington Inc., which is owned and controlled by David Thomson, chair of Thomson Reuters, has been investing in farmland for the last four years and first invested in Farmers... Read More
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
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