Productivity and yields are rising, along with costs and greater expectations for environmental controls. How can farmers navigate?
Over the past few decades, grain and oilseed producers in Western Canada have made consistent gains in farm productivity. But can upward yield trends be sustained in an environment where public policy discourages fossil fuel consumption and increasingly views the use of commercial fertilizers as a culprit contributing to global climate change, rather than a […] Read more
Brian Cross
Stories by Brian Cross
Saving the ocean one bottle at a time
Governments, corporations and non-profit organizations around the world continue to make progress on reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in rivers, oceans, lakes and landfills. But there’s still much work to be done, according to groups dedicated to plastic recycling. Future progress depends largely on investments by government and support for environmental […] Read more
Rising interest rates likely to affect land sales
It may be too early yet to say what the longer-term effects will be, but each buyer is expected to be affected differently
The cost of borrowing money continues to rise in Canada, making purchases of real estate and farmland less attractive to potential buyers. On Oct. 26, the Bank of Canada hiked its overnight lending rate by another 0.5 percent, pushing its benchmark rate to 3.75 percent. Rates set by the Bank of Canada have a direct […] Read more
Thunder Bay grain shipments increase
Grain shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay are returning to “more normal volumes” following a disappointing start to the 2022 export season, the port authority said last week. “I guess I would say things are getting back to normal,” said Tim Heney, chief executive officer at the northern Ontario port. “We’ve had some pretty […] Read more
Less flax straw burned as local demand grows
The once-common practice of burning unwanted flax straw is happening less frequently in farm fields across Western Canada, according to sources in the industry. Prairie flax producers still don’t have reliable access to “one or two major buyers of flax straw,” said Wayne Thompson, executive director at SaskFlax. But local demand for flax straw is […] Read more
Better varieties lower cadmium in durum: CGC
Canadian Grain Commission says the low cadmium durum breeding program launched in the early 1990s has paid off
Cadmium concentrations in Canada’s durum wheat exports have decreased significantly over the past three decades, thanks to the adoption of new low-cadmium durum varieties, says a new research paper co-authored by a scientist at the Canadian Grain Commission. Cadmium is a naturally occurring heavy metal that exists in Western Canadian soils. It can have a […] Read more
Cargill exits canola breeding
Cargill Canada is selling its high oleic canola seed breeding business to Corteva Agrisciences, the companies confirmed last week. The deal, which was expected to close on Oct. 31, will not affect Cargill’s high oleic canola contracting program in Western Canada. Cargill will also continue to process canola oil at oilseed crushing plants in Saskatchewan […] Read more
Diesel prices to remain high
Prairie farmers and trucking companies facing record high diesel fuel costs aren’t likely to see a reduction in rack prices soon, says a well-known fuel market analyst. Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst with En-Pro International, said there’s no relief in sight when it comes to sky-high diesel prices. North American inventories of middle distillates, which […] Read more
Corteva buys Cargill’s high oleic canola breeding business
Cargill Canada is selling its high oleic canola seed breeding business to Corteva Agrisciences, the companies confirmed this week. The deal, which was expected to close on Oct. 31, will not affect Cargill’s high oleic canola contracting program in Western Canada. Cargill will also continue to process canola oil at oilseed crushing plants in Saskatchewan […] Read more
Take these steps to get paid for deliveries
The Canadian Grain Commission is reminding grain growers of steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of not being paid for the grain they deliver. “With grain deliveries in full swing, the Canadian Grain Commission wants to help producers reduce their risk of non-payment,” the CGC said in a recent email to The […] Read more
