Category: Western Canada

Both national railways say they reject the findings of a coalition representing agricultural shippers in Western Canada. The Ag Transport Coalition, which includes producer groups and grain companies, has started publishing weekly reports on rail performance in an effort to increase transparency and accountability between shippers and railways. The most recent report included performance information... Read More

Ontario’s dairy farmers — and those from across Canada — descended on the storied town of Stratford, Ontario, last week to take in the third annual Canadian Dairy Xpo. Bernard Tobin, our Ontario field editor, caught up with show president Jordan Underhill for a recap of what was new and exciting at the show this... Read More

The Canadian Grain Commission announced today that it is starting consultations on whether it should license feed mills and extend payment protection to farmers who sell grain to feed mills in Western Canada. Producer organizations have been asking the CGC to consider expanding its payment security program to non-licensed buyers after two of Canada's largest... Read More

Being on site the day before FarmTech is mind boggling. So much work goes into setting up for a show like that. The floors are abuzz, with tradeshow participants, cleaners, lighting and camera crews, and food preparation staff. We've already shared with you a couple of Behind the Scenes videos, one where we crawled into... Read More

Remember seasoned sergeant Phil Esterhaus (actor Michael Conrad) in Hill St. Blues, who warmly but firmly reminded the squad “Let’s be careful out there!” as they filed out of his daily briefing? Well, the same applies to farming – it’s safer than police work, but it certainly has its hazards, not the least of which... Read More

In the cattle industry, interest in new corn varieties stems from a desire to increase efficiency and production, whether utilized as a grain source, ensiled or left standing for winter grazing. Ensiled, corn offers high energy, a key to high milk production. And, although much of a silage's quality is determined by in-field management, harvest…Read More

Following the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk in 2012, new producer organizations were formed to lead market development and research for wheat and barley in Western Canada. In Alberta, the soft wheat and winter wheat commissions joined to form the new Alberta Wheat Commission, while the already-established Alberta Barley Commission assumed some... Read More

Grain prices started the month of February looking to come out of the gate running – mainly from their January shadow (much like the groundhog did, but you probably don’t need a rodent to tell you if winter’s over or not if you live in Canada). Most of North American’s major growing regions are starting... Read More

There are signs the long-running dispute over U.S. mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) rules for meat is moving closer to resolution, as a Canadian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz visited Washington, DC. this week. “COOL is on life support,” Ritz told reporters on a conference call on Thursday afternoon. In what was... Read More

How can a producer make their farm more resilient and less vulnerable to both economic and climatic stresses? Focus on the health of the soil, says Ray Archuleta, a conservation agronomist with USDA-NRCS in North Carolina (and also known as the “The Soil Guy.”) Archuleta spoke about the “journey to soil health” during his keynote... Read More