Lock workers are back at work along the canals that offer transit through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean after a Sunday evening tentative resolution to the job action, which threatened to back up St. Lawrence Seaway grain shipments. The resolution announced by Unifor, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) and federal labour […] Read more
Alex McCuaig
Stories by Alex McCuaig
Alta. feed program opens Oct. 30
Alberta will open applications for its livestock feed assistance program on Monday. Producers who altered grazing practises for more than three weeks this year due to drought conditions will be eligible for the program. Up to $150 per head will be made available to livestock producers based on a feed-need calculation for lost grazing days […] Read more
Sask. releases feed aid requirements
The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC) is releasing eligibility requirements for livestock producers and is committing to provide provincial support for those who fall outside identified drought-impacted areas. The federal government, along with Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia governments, announced plans last week to help producers cover the costs of feed and extraordinary expenses linked […] Read more
Initiative hopes to protect grasslands
Three organizations with a history of conservation on the Prairies have launching a new initiative to protect one the most threatened agricultural and ecological landscapes in the West. The Grasslands Conservation Initiative is the product of joint discussions between the Canadian Cattle Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada that were held […] Read more
Livestock changes demanded
Western provinces are tapping into the AgriRecovery program for the second time in three years as drought and fire continue to plague the region. The federal government will provide $219 million to Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, while the provinces will kick in a collective $125 million under the cost-splitting program designed to provide relief […] Read more
Alta. vows to tackle water shortages
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says there will be public engagement on how to best manage provincial water supplies as the situation threatens to become worse if moisture levels in southern Alberta don’t improve. “My environment minister (Rebecca Shultz), who is responsible for water, is looking into this (and) is going to be engaging with the […] Read more
Camelina seen as option as drought continues
Company promotes crop as replacement for canola in parts of the Prairies where the crop underperforms due to dryness
Camelina might not be the first oilseed crop variety that comes to mind in Western Canada, but it may be one to consider as dry conditions continue in many parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Carlene Sarvas, Smart Earth Camelina Corp.’s production lead, said the oilseed does well in dryland and irrigated fields, but it’s also […] Read more
FCC hopes new loans stem herd reduction
Farm Credit Canada hopes to reduce the decline in beef cattle inventories by offering loans at minimal interest rates that producers can use to buy replacements or maintain their herds. The Replacement Heifer Program offers producers a seven-year loan with a maximum two-year interest-only period with variable interest rates capped at prime plus 1.5 percent […] Read more
‘Farming has changed so much’
A 92-year-old who retired at 85 but still helps out on the family farm when needed reflects on the changes he has seen
The first subscription to The Western Producer that Chris Heathcote remembers his household purchasing wasn’t with cash or cheque. “The first subscription for the paper was paid for by six laying hens,” Heathcote said about getting the Producer at his Craik, Sask., farmhouse 85 years ago. “That was in the Thirties, and we didn’t have […] Read more
Seaway strike backs up Ontario grain
The nature of eastern Canadian grain logistics and the strike by St. Lawrence Seaway workers who operate the canals will see cascading impacts across the system if the situation isn’t resolved quickly, according to Crosby Devitt, chief executive officer of Ontario Grain Farmers. Unifor workers in both Ontario and Quebec walked off the job Sunday […] Read more
