Changes in how research checkoffs are collected may come whether producers are offered choice or not. The Western Grain Research Foundation is developing a strategy to protect the money it gets from check-off funds. Domestically sold feed grains generate little revenue for research because they don’t pass through the Canadian Wheat Board. That agency collects […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Watch consumer trends, potato producers urged
While the potato hasn’t changed much, the industry that produces it has. Lukie Pieterse is known around the world as a potato consultant. The resident of O’Leary, P.E.I., provided an update on the international industry to Saskatchewan seed potato growers gathered in Saskatoon Nov. 29. Producers heard about the British Potato Council’s marketing strategies to […] Read more
Lose the silver, save the gold
Silver scurf relieves prairie potato producers of their gold. “Like many places, we can have some pretty gnarly potatoes in Saskatchewan if we don’t look after our disease issues,” said plant pathologist Jill Thompson of the University of Saskatchewan. Thompson spoke about the problem at the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association annual conference in Saskatoon […] Read more
Bison judges not easily buffaloed
REGINA – You can judge a bison through its cover. Gerald Parson of Stratford, Oklahoma, has seen a lot of bison in his career as a buffalo rancher and veterinarian. He has judged cattle and bison at the Denver Stock Show and is known as one of America’s top bison breeders. He moves slowly and […] Read more
Bison prices slow to bulk up
REGINA – Bison are bouncing back, just not high. Producers say the recovery reflects the reality of the market and appears to be relatively free of speculators. “We don’t really want to see those prices from the late 1990s and pre-BSE again. They weren’t sustainable and the industry is still paying for the bust,” said […] Read more
Farm based on sturdy horse breed
TERRACE, B.C. – From Iceland to a sometimes-icy land, a herd of purebred horses find British Columbia similar to their native home. Northwestern B.C. isn’t well known for its agriculture, despite being home to a large commercial cattle population and many specialty equine and organic farms. Ellen Hansen and Patrick Stewart carved their 30 acre […] Read more
Meat processors struggle to retain workers
Not enough Canadians to fill the farm and meat plant jobs? Make some more. Gregg Badger has seen his company successfully recruit 350 foreign workers into Canada and he says most employers are richer for the experience. “In Canada, we’re failing to produce $2 billion in the meat industry alone because we can’t fill all […] Read more
American exhibitors return after three-year hiatus
REGINA – Nolind Ward crossed the Canadian border with something that few people do these days: cattle. He and North Dakota Galloway breeder Harley Blegen are the first to bring purebred American cattle to Canadian Western Agribition since the finding of BSE in Canada in 2003. Canadian cattle cannot be shipped to the United States […] Read more
Maple Leaf CEO tries to calm producers
Michael McCain has all but dismissed any chance that his aged Mitchell’s Gourmet Foods packing plant in Saskatoon would be sold to another operator. Speaking at the Saskatchewan Pork Symposium Nov. 15, McCain, chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Foods, said the plant is not viable and must close for the good of the industry. […] Read more
Prince Rupert terminal ready to set sail
PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. – At the end of a long railway track sits a big, underused grain terminal on the Pacific Ocean. But the use issue is about to change and that means more money could find its way into farmers’ pockets. Despite being Canada’s highest capacity grain port, Prince Rupert Grain has spent many […] Read more
