Lack of snow cover, January deep freeze and abnormally high temperatures have stressed winter crops across the Prairies
Minimal snow cover, frigid temperatures in mid-January and above-average temperatures after that may have set the stage for winterkill in winter crops. The risk is high enough to cause concern among crop specialists. “The eastern Prairies are in a little bit better shape than (Saskatchewan and Alberta) but there’s huge swaths that in my mind […] Read moreStories by Glacier FarmMedia
Man. producers want dedicated livestock police
Manitoba’s beef sector wants police that specialize in livestock. A successful resolution at the Manitoba Beef Producers annual meeting Feb. 8 called for MBP to approach the province about a potential livestock investigations unit “or another mechanism aimed at reducing local livestock-related crime.” “We’ve seen a rise in … theft or fraud-related instances in our […] Read more
Producers squeeze profits from a dry sponge
High costs and low commodity prices bring back tight margins as already depressed values see significant reductions
Farmers can expect tighter margins for the foreseeable future, says Manitoba Agriculture farm management specialist Darren Bond. “This is not 2022 or even the early parts of 2023; this is a return to historic-type margins,” said Bond. “I think that profit is still attainable for this upcoming year but we’re going to have to work […] Read more
Corn-soybean intercropping put to grazing test
Brett McRae is spicing up his corn grazing system this year. He’s got more than one variety growing — a grazing-oriented option and the typical silage corn — but the real experiment is happening beneath the canopy. This year, the corn shared space with forage soybean and hairy vetch. The beans were “very impressive,” he […] Read more
New communications manager joins national cattle group
Carol Reynolds says her new job at the Canadian Cattle Association feels like returning home to her farm roots
The Canadian Cattle Association has a new teammate. Carol Reynolds is the group’s new communications manager, who started the job Jan. 4. “Agriculture is literally in my blood,” said Reynolds, who grew up on a mixed family farm near Nipawin, Sask. “I’ve got a lot of fond memories of the farm, pitching bales and picking […] Read more
New farm income record set in 2023, estimates suggest
Canadian farm income may have set a new record in 2023. That’s according to the official 2023 and 2024 estimates released February 16 by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. For 2023, net cash income (NCI), the main metric Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada uses to measure farm income, is forecast to have increased 13 per cent to […] Read more
Farmers can go aerial without breaking the bank
Any farmer can get into the drone game, according to Matthew Johnson, vice-president at Volatus Aerospace. And with the current price of a minidrone, with its functionality and ease of use, he says it’s kind of crazy not to. “I’ve been saying it for a long time. Since (the) mini came out, I think every […] Read more
Cloud-based farm technology faces stormy skies
Cloud-based software developers face a dilemma when trying to crack the agricultural market. On one hand, integrating all the on-farm data they can gather with government systems, equipment manufacturers and other software companies could help farmers manage productivity and make decisions easier. On the other hand, farmers worry that those same developers might turn the […] Read more
Proper tagging seen as the easiest way not to lose them
Tags that go into cattle’s ears properly are more likely to stay there and not cause problems later on with traceability
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency has launched a new campaign to provide more information to farmers on how to retain tags on cattle. The challenge with cattle tagging is that at some point in their life, animals can lose their iconic yellow button tags, and that’s a problem for the traceability system for livestock. The […] Read more
War teaches Ukrainian farmers tough lessons
As the war approaches its second anniversary, the farmers who adapted earliest have been in the best position to survive
Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It seems like a short time, but it has caused huge upheaval in our society. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions have lost their homes. Ukraine’s agriculture was hit very hard by the war. Most of the country’s farmers were on the verge of […] Read more
