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
Category: Western Canada
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during the grain backlog in 2014 as part of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, are scheduled to be repealed on August 1, 2016.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
I sat beside a semi-retired oilfield executive on a plane recently. “I’ve got a book in me,” he said, when he found out I was a writer. “I’ve lived all over the place and done a lot.” When I asked him for an example, he talked about how he still drove his 1999 pick up,... Read More
Does a cow need to have a calf to give milk? The answer should be obvious, but more than 70% of consumers get the question wrong explains University of Guelph associate professor Mike Von Massow. A majority of Canadians also believe that a chicken is processed for meat when it reaches four years of age.... Read More
Grains shot out of the cannon this week as heavy trading volumes propelled markets to new multi-month highs. Soybeans led the charge, thanks to concerns over the size of the Argentinian harvest. With soybean markets rallying well above the $10/bushel handle, profits were taken and the complex settled below the coveted double-digit level before weekend... Read More
80 percent of planter setup should be done before the unit leaves the yard. That's the work that can be completed before the weather and soil are ready for putting seed in the ground. But not everything can be calibrated before heading out to the field. In this Corn School episode, Shaun Dilliott of Kearney…Read More
Lethbridge County unanimously passed its new infrastructure tax on Thursday. It will no doubt increase the tax load for livestock producers in the county. Kasko Cattle Co. is a family-owned operation that runs a pair of feedyards and also farms in the county, so I called Ryan Kasko to discuss the new tax and how... Read More
Soils in much of Alberta and parts of western Saskatchewan are very dry and needing rain as early seeding activity is getting underway. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be widespread relief on the way in the next few weeks. "We are going to be looking for a balance across the majority of the prairies, and... Read More
Costco is about to embark on a very dedicated vertical integration strategy for its chicken business. As reported by Fortune.com earlier this week, Costco is set to build its own processing facility, and will build its own chicken farms for one third of its supply. With plans to produce and slaughter 1.7 million chickens per... Read More