The strong Canadian dollar may force agricultural equipment manufacturers from Western Canada to increase their prices in foreign markets. A dollar trading above parity with the U.S. greenback hurts manufacturers that generate a lot of sales south of the border, forcing them to either raise prices or take losses. However, Morris Industries’ chief operating officer […] Read more
Stories by Bryn Levy
New advances in herbicides require further knowledge
ROSTHERN, Sask. – Farmers must be more educated than ever about what they put in their spray tanks, says a University of Saskatchewan researcher. Speaking at a direct-seeding demonstration at the Seager-Wheeler historic farm near Rosthern, Ken Sapsford said producers will have more varieties to choose from as they decide what herbicides to apply to […] Read more
North America dodges global warming, for now
A new study warns that North America’s reprieve from the effects of global warming on wheat and corn production can’t last forever. The study,Climate Trends and Global Crop Production Since 1980,evaluated 30 years of climate data and crop yields. It was published recently in the magazineScience. The study took into account the benefits of technology, […] Read more
Genetically modified debate will not be resolved through trade negotiations
The European Union’s ambassador to Canada said Canadian farmers should not expect free trade talks to solve key outstanding issues between the two. Matthias Brinkmann, speaking at an event organized by the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy on May 25, cited Canadian and EU differences on genetically modified organisms as […] Read more
Scientist looking for a few good ticks
Neil Chilton is a bit of a tick magnet. The parasitologist and assistant department head at the University of Saskatchewan’s biology department has spent eight years studying the hardy arachnids in Saskatchewan, including the past three years overseeing the Tick Surveillance Program. He analyzes ticks that the public sends him from across Western Canada. Part […] Read more
Ag plays a leading role in crop dusting reality show
Don’t tell Bud Jardine that food just comes from a grocery store. The veteran crop-dusting pilot from Nipawin, Sask., knows better. Jardine, one of the stars of History Television’s reality series Dust Up, has spent 41 years on the front lines of the agriculture industry, risking life and limb buzzing low over farmers’ fields in […] Read more
High moisture level on Prairies may bring roller coaster weather
Farmers who hope the end of La Nina will bring a reprieve from cold, wet conditions shouldn’t expect too much, say weather experts. The La Nina weather pattern causes water in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean to get colder than usual. This affects the jet stream in North America, generally causing colder than average […] Read more
Sask. weather info missed during radar station repairs
Environment Canada’s weather radar station near Bethune, Sask., is operating again after weeks of intermittent failures. The station covers the southern portion of Saskatchewan, providing projections of storm systems as they form and move across the province. Greg Marshall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said the information is vital to farmers when […] Read more
Cases of equine virus in Alta., B.C. spark cancellation of events
An outbreak of neurotropic equine herpes virus-1 has spread from the United States to Canada. Horses became infected at a cutting horse event in Utah held from late April to early May. Cases have arisen across the northwestern United States and in British Columbia and Alberta. B.C. has seen three cases and Alberta has one […] Read more
Food company co-founder dies at 81
Wallace McCain, chair of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and co-founder of the McCain frozen food company, died at the age of 81 due to pancreatic cancer. McCain and his brother, Harrison, started the frozen food company that bears their name in their hometown of Florenceville, N.B., in 1956. Today the company is one of Canada’s […] Read more
