Canadian farmers who own dairy or poultry quota may not have to live with the stress that comes from marketing a product on a volatile open market, but their stress comes in another form: the worry that the federal government will pull the rug (or one of the three pillars) out from under the regulatory... Read More
Category: Western Canada
It's generally agreed that most of the earthworm species native to Canada were actually wiped out during the glacial period. Since then, new species have been introduced to the country, with at least 14 non-native species now tunneling their way through Alberta's soils alone. To most of us, earthworms are an indicator of good (or... Read More
There are still lingering questions as to how farmers access, pay for and use seed varieties under UPOV '91, which Canada adopted with the passing of Bill C-18 back in March of this year. For those that claim that under the act farmers lose their right to save seed, Patty Townsend, executive director of the…Read More
Horsch is bringing back a concept it first tried in the North American market more than 10 years ago. This time the company is not alone in offering a tender unit designed to fill multiple airseeder tanks simultaneously. “We’ve been working with the tendering concept for a little over 10 years, as far as tendering... Read More
It’s been over a year and a half since the European Commission restricted the use of neonicotinoid insecticides across the EU in an attempt to help bee populations, an approach that the Ontario government is in many ways emulating with its new neonic seed treatment regulations for corn and soybeans. The impact the suspension has... Read More
The Canadian Pork Council is exploring the feasibility of a hedging program to help hog producers manage price volatility and cash flow needs. Bev Shipley, MP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced federal funding of up to $169,530 for the project through the federal AgriRisk Initiatives program on... Read More
Grain prices were all higher this week and ended with a WASDE report on Friday that the market read as bullish, even though the numbers didn’t fully imply that. Does the market just not believe the numbers, or perhaps it feels more cuts are on the way? Either way, weather is creating fairly volatile trading... Read More
PRIDE Seeds and CANTERRA Seeds have announced a distribution agreement that brings the PRIDE Seeds portfolio of hybrid seed corn and soybean seed to CANTERRA Seeds dealers across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Stephen Denys, vice president of sales and marketing with PRIDE Seeds, says that research into earlier maturing seed corn hybrids and soybean varieties... Read More
Improved stalk strength is a valuable characteristic when breeding corn plants to withstand wind and carry heavier yields, but tougher corn stalks can also wreak havoc on tires at harvest. “The entire tire industry is trying to stay ahead of plant genetics,” says James Crouch, marketing manager for farm products with Michelin, in the video... Read More
White mould is a fungus caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and tends to cause a bleached area of the stem, with black oblong sclerotia developing in the centre of the affected area, and inside the stem. But, we don't want it to get that far. Enter fungicides. "The number one problem that growers have in timing…Read More