AG Notes

Cattle families honoured

The Saskatchewan Livestock Association presented honour scrolls to four farm families at the recent beef industry conference.

The scrolls have been presented since 1927 and recognize people for their outstanding contribution to the livestock industry, their communities and the province.

This year, Glenn and the late Bev Bender of Neudorf, Tom and Karen Grieve of Fillmore, Jack McDougald of Maple Creek and Barry and Marj Young of Carievale were added to the list of 255 honourees.

Funding for rural safety

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DuPont Pioneer gave $100,000 in grants to rural emergency services across Canada last year.

The Funding Initiative for Rural Emergencies (F.I.R.E.) program provides emergency rescue equipment and training.

Funds have been used to buy emergency resources such as grain entrapment rescue equipment, air bottle containment refill stations, thermal imaging camera, a new radio system, extrication tools, a ventilation fan, fire suits and a rescue trailer.

Watershed grant deadline looms

Applications for a watershed stewardship grant in Alberta must be in by March 1.

Watershed stewardship groups can apply for up to $10,000. The funding can be used to cover the cost of eligible capital purchases. Application forms can be downloaded from the Watershed Stewardship Grant website.

More information is also available by phoning the stewardship program co-ordinator at 877-727–5276 extension 222.

MANA Canada rebrands

In an effort to establish a more simplified product structure, Makhteshim Agan Industries is re-branding its global business as Adama beginning in April.

The crop protection business will stagger the launch on a country-by-country basis. It is expected to be completed in 18 months.

Makhteshim Agan Canada Ltd. (MANA Canada) will change to the new brand this fall.

Adama comes from the Hebrew word for earth and refers to the company’s goal to be a global provider of farmer-focused products and services.

The company’s portfolio of active ingredients is used in more than 20 MANA Canada branded herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.

Order of B.C. nominations now open

Nomination letters are being accepted until March 7 for the 2014 Order of British Columbia.

The award recognizes the outstanding works of individuals within communities who have worked hard to improve people’s lives. Any person or group can nominate an individual for appointment to the order.

Nomination forms are available at orderofbc@gov.bc.ca or by phoning 250-387-1616. They can also be submitted online at www.orderofbc.gov.bc.ca/nominations.

Nominations received after March 7 will be considered next year.

Carinata pioneer honoured

SaskMustard recently honoured Kevin Falk for research with brassica carinata.

Falk and colleagues at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Saskatoon helped raise the profile of the oilseed as a new cropping choice for western Canadian producers.

His research, which started in 1993, selected for earliness, high seed oil and suitability for Western Canada. He then began working on changing the oil and meal profile while maintaining high seed oil and meal protein contents.

Contracted production is expected to be 25,000 acres this year.

Carinata oil, one of the crop’s byproducts, is being refined into biojet fuel. It powered the world’s first 100 percent biojet fuel civilian flight in 2002, which Popular Science listed on its top 25 scientific events.

livestock, forage research

The federal and Saskatchewan governments are investing nearly $4.2 million in funding for 27 livestock and forage research projects. The money is part of the $27.7 million provincial agricultural research budget in 2013-14.

Projects receiving funding will: