Cases of ergot poisoning are declining in Canada, but producer feels the CFIA needs to better monitor feed mills
If the police get out the radar gun only one day of the year, it’s a safe bet that drivers will speed on the remaining 364 days. The same rule applies for feed mills, says Bill Campbell, a cattle producer from Minton, Man. If nobody is watching, the operators of feed mills will bend the […] Read moreBarley
Who’s in the farmer’s corner?
Dispute over value of malting barley leaves Alberta farmer searching for answers; grain commission warns against ‘literal interpretation’ of grain act
Is the Canada Grain Act adequately protecting grain farmers? Are provisions in the act being properly enforced? Those are two questions Alberta barley producer Mike Greeno is asking after a contract dispute with a major Canadian grain company. Greeno, who farms near Lethbridge, delivered a sample of barley to a well-known Canadian elevator company in […] Read more
Dry prairie summer expected
RED DEER — It could by a hot, dry summer for the Canadian Prairies if long-range forecasts prevail. The current La Nina is dying and an El Nino is forming, said climatologist Art Douglas, professor emeritus at Creighton University in Nebraska. “Going forward in the spring and summer I would look at El Nino coming […] Read more
Winter wheat group makes cost cutting changes
In the fall of 2013, farmers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan seeded more than 900,000 acres of winter wheat. Since then acres have steadily dropped, hitting 400,000 in the fall of 2016 and only 240,000 this year. Consequently, the groups that represent winter wheat growers have fewer check-off dollars and during the last few months they’ve […] Read more
Sask. ranchers welcome crop insurance changes
As well, contract price option to include barley, commercial canola, oats, hard red spring wheat, durum and CPS wheat
Saskatchewan cattle producers say wildfire coverage and improved predation compensation offered in this year’s crop insurance program provide much-needed added protection. Wildfires devastated more than 88,000 acres of mainly pasture last year and there was no insurance for fire damage, which will likely result in lost productivity. Many organizations had urged Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. […] Read more
Farmers demand action on grain transportation
OTTAWA — Canadian grain farmers want a plan to get grain moving within the next two weeks. Representatives from regional and national organizations held a news conference on Parliament Hill yesterday to demand action on the rail bottleneck that threatens a repeat of 2013-14. “Parliament is going to take a two-week break. We need a […] Read more
More acres require grain bin upgrades
As expanding farmers buy or rent more land, their first priority is securing the necessary seeding rigs, sprayers and then harvest equipment. There’s no denying the logic of this chronology. Without field equipment, there is no crop. However, the rush to address cropping requirements of those new acres means the grain-handling assets required to service […] Read more
Bin plans need to go in before the crop
Dave Wall’s phone starts ringing off the wall in August when farmers realize they’ll harvest more crop than their systems can handle and they want to add capacity and maybe a few upgrades at the same time. Wall owns Wall Grain, one of the largest dealers of grain-handling and storage systems on the Prairies. He’s […] Read more
Feedlots look for cheaper options
WINNIPEG (CNS) — As supplies tighten, Lethbridge feedlot operators are looking for cheaper options when it comes to feed. “Supply seems to be tight in general. There’s not a lot of offers on either corn or barley at the moment. And demand is higher than expected coming into March,” said Brandon Motz, sales manager at […] Read more
Markets Moment – February 23, 2018
Mike Raine, The Western Producer’s managing editor, monitors trends in the North American and global agricultural markets and leads our staff markets coverage. Each week he also hosts a market video. The video is designed to help viewers understand the forces responsible for changes in the trade. If agricultural markets are important to you, we […] Read more
