From across the country and from various sectors of agriculture, farm organizations have been calling for enhancements to AgriStability. Federal and provincial governments continue to talk about it, but the sticking point is the price tag. It isn’t necessarily the feds to blame. The price is an even bigger pill to swallow for provinces with […] Read more
Author Archives
There’s an affordable way to fix AgriStability
Dissecting government support for producers
True or false: the billions of dollars in subsidies to American farmers are hurting Canadian farmers. Most analysis adopts this premise as true while providing limited evidence. Grain Farmers of Ontario, Producteurs de grains du Quebec and the Atlantic Grains Council have launched a joint campaign “to raise awareness with the public of the devastating […] Read more
New PMRA policy proposal takes aim at tank mixes
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency is proposing a new policy on tank mixing crop protection products. If the policy is adopted, any tank mix not on the product label would be considered an off-label use. While many tank mixes are listed on product labels, many others have been adopted over time without the expensive bother […] Read more
Industry offered advice for dealing with farmers
Dear input suppliers, grain buyers and equipment repair people — here’s what you can do to earn my respect and business. I realize I’m just a small fish in a very large lake, but I suspect that most of your other customers feel the same way. First of all, don’t overpromise. You see this continually […] Read more
There are many reasons to hold onto farmland
For a lot of reasons, many retiring farmers opt to hold farmland rather than sell it and current economic conditions favour that approach. In the last 10 or 15 years, few investments have been better than farmland. If you have land worth $2,500 an acre and you can cash rent it for $60 an acre […] Read more
Lentils show the best returns this year in Sask.
When you crunch the numbers for Saskatchewan using provincial average yields and current grain prices, lentils come out as the clear winner. The yields in the accompanying table are from Saskatchewan Agriculture’s latest crop report with the exception of canola and durum. On those crops, the provincial yield estimates are well below those of Statistics […] Read more
New Conservative leader’s ag policy rather thin
If and when new Conservative leader Erin O’Toole becomes prime minister of Canada, what can we expect for agriculture policy? To answer that question, O’Toole’s agriculture policy platform is posted on his website and has been widely publicized. Unfortunately, it raises almost as many questions as it answers. His pledge to end the carbon tax […] Read more
Right time to finish harvest is hard to determine
Having the optimum harvest capacity is difficult when each year can be so different. It’s only the beginning of September and harvest is advancing quickly in many areas, with some producers in the south already finished and with others soon to follow. Last year, dubbed the harvest from hell, combines were still rolling at the […] Read more
Modern communications help manage farm fires
The basics haven’t changed for fighting combine fires and resulting field fires, but technology is helping with communication and co-ordination. There have been numerous fires this fall in the general vicinity of Highway 32 in southwestern Saskatchewan and as a result a Wildfire–Highway 32 group chat has been set up with more than 140 participants […] Read more
Farm equipment somehow tends to accumulate
We’re rapidly becoming one of those farms where old equipment goes to die. You know, the kind of farm with outdated, broken down equipment scattered everywhere. In most circles, this isn’t usually considered the hallmark of a successful, progressive farm. We do try to keep our machinery row organized with equipment lined up and not […] Read more
