It has been a challenging year for cattle feeders in the respect that unhedged cattle have performed well financially but the majority of cattle for progressive producers were contracted or hedged. On top of this is the fact that replacing cattle in the feed yard is very expensive based on the break evens that are... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Originally looked upon as "snake oil" seed treatments have become an integral part of the production system. For the most part many farmers originally had trouble understanding the value because the action was underground. Farmers are used to using products like herbicides that kills weeds which is very visual. The action of seed treatments is... Read More
By Jason Stroeve It's a running joke that while it costs you $55 to $100 dollars a year to get into Costco, it usually costs you at least $200 dollars every time you leave. I like shopping at Costco and apparently so does the rest of the world. If you're successful at navigating the parking... Read More
By Shaun Haney Its that time of year that we all take a deep breath. Agricultural tradeshow season is over and now its time to get down to the business of farming. This winter I have been across the country at the majority of the major farm shows. Many of the tradeshow booths are the... Read More
"Those dairy farmers print money!" That's what a friend of mine says every time the subject of dairy farms comes up. Drive down many roads in Canada and it's easy to see how that perception was born. Huge brand new facilities, multi-site operations with finely manicured yards and milking parlors with nicer tile most people's... Read More
If you cannot see the embedded video above click here. There are extreme challenges in the grocery store in trying to decipher all the labelling, marketing and propaganda. With the current rise in food prices there has been an increased coverage of what food costs in the mainstream media. Some of the most expensive food... Read More
The standard rule of thumb for polite dinner conversation is never talk religion or politics. When it comes to the topic of biotechnology and GMO crops, it may be a good idea to make another addition to that list. Depending on who you talk to the opinions can range from " those companies are raising... Read More
When agricultural commodity prices rise there are expected effects. Costs like fertilizer prices and machinery costs are always natural to rise in a rising commodity market. One of the costs that has not been discussed much is rising farmland rent costs. Ontario has some of the highest land rent rates in Canada for the major... Read More
The cereal leaf beetle traditionally has been a minor pest in Canada. Western Canada has begun to see some of the damage as it has moved north from the United States. Scott Meers, Alberta Agriculture states that the cereal leaf beetle has not yet moved above Highway One but should still be a concern for... Read More
GPS has become a major component of in-tractor technology. For many of the applications of GPS, once you have them you sometimes wonder how you did certain things before hand. Auto-steer is one of those GPS applications that has received lots of marketing and as time moves on more and more farmers are experiencing the... Read More