A Canadian Transportation Agency ruling will allow the railways to increase their per-tonne revenue in 2018-19
Canada’s major railway companies will be able to generate greater per-tonne revenues for moving regulated western Canadian grain in 2018-19 following an April 25 ruling by the Canadian Transportation Agency. The CTA announced that the Volume Related Composite Price Index (VRCPI) will increase 2.8 percent in the 2018-19 crop year. The VRCPI is a key […] Read moreBarley
One railway improving on car orders; CP continues struggles
The number of hoppers cars being spotted at western Canadian grain elevators continues to improve at Canadian National Railway, while weekly hopper car deliveries at Canadian Pacific Railway continue to falter, according to figures supplied by the Ag Transport Coalition (ATC). ATC numbers show that CN’s numbers have been improving consistently since the arrival of […] Read more
Rules for gene editing a worry
Canadian breeders and seed technology companies are anxious about how regulators will handle new crops developed through gene editing. Gene editing is the latest breakthrough in crop breeding. It involves tweaking existing genes within a plant as opposed to genetic modification, which involves inserting genes into a plant. Ian Affleck, vice-president of plant biotechnology with […] Read more
One independent seed grower likes to go short on varieties
Mastin Seeds has made rescue crops for crisis management situations a big part of its lineup. Farming in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, Bob Mastin has learned a lot about short season agriculture over the past 40 years. Although Mastin is acutely aware of the compressed 2018 growing season facing his customers and his […] Read more
Goodbye canola, hello wheat and hay
No matter how you cut it, we’re having a short growing season. Rotations that looked good last autumn, when the first seed and fertilizer were purchased, don’t look so hot today. Given the investment in land and equipment, it’s not likely that many growers can afford to chemfallow. The economic realities of 2018 demand cash […] Read more
Farm groups repeat demand for Bill C-49 passage
Canadian farmers have once again urged passage of Bill C-49, as amended, by the House of Commons as soon as possible. In an open letter to members of Parliament April 26, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and its prairie members said farmers are struggling with cash flow because not enough grain has moved. “Farm groups […] Read more
Online tool encourages producers to farm sustainably
Alberta’s four main crop commissions have developed an online tool they hope will get farmers thinking about how they can become more sustainable. The tool, which can be accessed on www.farmsustainability.ca, lets producers take a self-assessment in which they answer questions about their farm practices. Based on their answers, the site then gives them an […] Read more
Late winter supporting prairie barley prices
Winnipeg (CNS Canada) — Lingering winter weather across the Canadian Prairies has meant cattle are eating more grain, but the possibility of delayed seeding also has farmers with grain to sell eyeing better prices. “As the winter continues to hang on, cattle producers are continuing to have to feed (grain) until they can get their […] Read more
Canola pencils out best this year in Alta.
More canola, more cereals and fewer pulse crops are likely to be planted in Alberta this year, the provincial agriculture department predicts. Mark Cutts, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said reports indicate barley acres will increase by seven percent, durum by five percent, spring wheat by four and oats by about two percent. “Cereal crops, […] Read more
Prolonged cold weather on Prairies points to seeding delays
If you’re wondering how the spring of 2018 stacks up with other years in terms of temperature, then you might be interested in the following information from the Saskatchewan Research Council in Saskatoon. According to SRC climate researcher Virginia Wittrock, the month of March was cold. March had 20 days with average daily temperatures below […] Read more
