GSI’s Z Series grain storage bins use inflatable bladders that make cleanout a breeze. “It eliminates the need for any kind of sweep augers or paddle sweeps or any kind of sweeping mechanism inside of a flat bottom bin system,” said Jarod Wendt of GSI. “During the typical unload, you can still open up the […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Specialty grain gear makes clean routine
Many seed- and grain-processing plants recently built in Western Canada, including pea fractionation facilities, use equipment from Saskatoon-based Can-Seed Equipment. Several of the company’s offerings wouldn’t suit the grain-handling needs of the typical prairie grain farm. However, some of the equipment can fill important roles on grain farms. For instance, Forsberg’s natural frequency conveyors offer […] Read more
Farmer develops new, fast connection with his sprayer
An Ontario farmer welded a fifth-wheel pin to the bottom of his sprayer and installed a receiver on the trailer to make his spraying system more efficient. Tom Schuurmans said the hitch shaves at least five minutes off each load and unload of his sprayer. He said his family’s dairy farm near Elmira Ont., needs […] Read more
Cracks revealed in contaminated food database
The agency keeps a list of imports flagged by inspectors for more investigation, but the database isn’t searchable
The computer system used to log investigations at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is old and does not have a reporting function capable of basic searches or performing trend analysis on the agency’s investigation database. The Western Producer filed an access to information request with the CFIA for issues or food safety concerns related to […] Read more
Ag Canada enlists First Nations elder
Agriculture Canada is the first federal department to employ a departmental elder to help the institution navigate relationships with indigenous peoples. In 2017, Ag Canada created the indigenous support and awareness office to increase the department’s capacity to work with indigenous people, and hired elder Mervin Traverse to provide full-time elder support to the agency. […] Read more
U.S. failing Canada in China dispute: diplomat
Canada suffers Chinese wrath after detaining Huawei executive at U.S. request, including a refusal to buy canola
The Canadian ambassador to the United States says he has asked the U.S. for help with the diplomatic spat between China and Canada, but it appears the U.S. doesn’t want to get involved. “We’ve heard so many times, ‘thank you very much for what you’re doing, is there anything we can do to help?’ and […] Read more
Program changes sought to reduce U.S. production
The American agricultural sector is facing difficult times and the situation will not change any time soon, says Roger Johnson, president of the U.S. National Farmers Union. “It’s as tough as it’s been for some folks since the ’80s. Now I’m not saying it’s the same as the ’80s, there are lots of things that […] Read more
Farmers find support, efficiencies in collaboration
It all started when a drill came up at an auction sale that two neighbours both wanted. “He wanted to buy it and I wanted to buy it, so I said let’s buy it together instead of trying to outbid each other and lets just farm together,” said Brian Tischler. Tischler and Will Groeneveld, who […] Read more
VIDEO: Canadian ag tariffs looming in U.S. steel fight
Canada’s ambassador to U.S. warns agricultural products will be included in latest round of retaliation over steel tariffs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The window to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement before the federal election this fall is quickly closing, but American tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports prevent progress. Parliament is set to rise June 15 and then will not be able to vote on the USMCA until after the election. “I don’t […] Read more
UPDATE: CFIA examines flagged food imports from China potentially not meeting Canadian requirements
Update: April 18, 2019 1330 CST Editor’s note: The first version of this story, shown below, states the CFIA detected possible problems with 889 food products imported into Canada from China from 2017 to date. However, the attached CFIA list “only listed products that were flagged as potentially not meeting federal requirements,” according to a […] Read more
