If there was some way of measuring trending topics in farmer conversations in Western Canada over the past six months, "so, are you growing peas this year?" would be at or near the top. Thanks to the very strong prices that are accompanying a global pulse shortage, a record number of pea (and lentil) acres... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Hockey playoff season is finally here. Last year, we were talking about how wonderful it was to have five Canadian teams competing for Lord Stanley's mug. This year Canadian hockey fans in the RealAg community don't have to worry about having a hometown bias in figuring out who they want to win. Together with Kahntact... Read More
It's the world's challenge to provide safe and affordable food, Kay Kuenker, entrepreneur and consultant told delegates at this year's Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (West). And, according to Kuenker, women must be involved in addressing this issue. "Women are showing that every imaginable discipline or role in that can be fulfilled by a woman,"... Read More
The average value of farmland in Canada continued to rise at a double-digit rate in 2015, according to Farm Credit Canada's annual farmland values report published on Monday. FCC says "this year in particular, the differences between regions within each province varied a lot," but the average value of farmland across the country rose by... Read More
Calving, planting prep, and hockey playoffs — it looks like, despite the wintery weather in some areas, spring is here. And with it comes the conclusion of regular season hockey and the 2015-16 RealAg hockey pool. Unfortunately, Canadian hockey fans won't have a hometown team to cheer for this year, but it was still an... Read More
Would consumers watch a farming reality TV show? The 'Incredible' Dr. Jan Pol thinks so. Since 2012, the 73-year-old veterinarian has starred in the popular series bearing his name on National Geographic’s NATGEO Wild channel, which features him and his family as they make their rounds tending to the needs of farm and companion animals.... Read More
A springtime initiative launched earlier this week by the David Suzuki Foundation, fashioned after the iconic Got Milk? campaign of yore, asks “Got Milkweed, Canada?” It’s an initiative designed to get urban people to plant milkweed and provide a much-needed food source for North America’s precarious population of eastern monarch butterflies, which require milkweed for... Read More
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board was the winning bidder as Switzerland-based commodities giant Glencore sought to sell a chunk of its agricultural assets, including grain company Viterra. The CPPIB and Glencore announced last week they have reached a deal that will see the CPPIB pay $2.5 billion for a 40 percent stake in Glencore's... Read More
It was made pretty clear at the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference in Calgary: women need to be more involved in boards. According to a survey conducted by GMI Ratings, in 2012 women held just 10.3% of seats on Canadian boards, a far cry from the 30%, and ultimately 50% goal outlined by a Report... Read More
What do you want to improve on your farm this spring? As part of TechTour LIVE last month, Rob Hannam of Synthesis Agri-Food Network encouraged farmers to apply "lean" principles to their farm operations. As he explains in the video below, "lean" is a philosophy for reducing loss and waste from a process. There are... Read More