Skyline Agriculture Financial Corp. | Group’s plan could open Sask. to more foreign investment
A landmark case is in front of the courts that could forever change the way Saskatchewan farmland is bought and sold. Skyline Agriculture Financial Corp. and three of its subsidiaries are challenging a Saskatchewan Farm Land Security Board (FLSB) ruling preventing the company from owning 15 acres of land in the province. The non-Canadian owned […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Brace for frigid temperatures, normal snowfall
Weak El Nino | Alberta can expect dramatic swings while Manitoba will be cold
Manitoba residents are in for another cold winter, according to the Weather Network. They can blame a weak El Nino for their troubles, said meteorologist Dayna Vettese. Many Canadians incorrectly associate El Nino with warm winters. “That’s not necessarily true,” she said. “Strong El Ninos do typically dictate a warm winter across Canada, but what […] Read moreFertilizer products may not come as advertised
Determining what works | Fertilizer makers no longer have to meet certain quality and efficacy standards for registration
Farmers shouldn’t believe anything they hear or read about certain fertilizer products, says a provincial crop specialist. “You stay in this business a while and you start realizing there’s a lot of useless crap being sold that has dubious claims,” said Harry Brook, a specialist with Alberta Agriculture. He believes that is truer today than […] Read more
Russian wheat outlook dismal
Less than half of normal rain | Output of winter wheat could drop by five million tonnes
Russia’s winter wheat crop is in trouble, according to a Russian market research and consulting firm, reviving memories of conditions that eventually led to the severe 2010 Russian drought. Dry conditions have dashed winter wheat yield prospects in the crop, which will be harvested next year. SovEcon has not issued an official forecast for 2015-16 […] Read more
Lack of capital to blame: Broadacre
Broadacre Agriculture’s creditors will get paid and the company’s shareholders will walk away with some assets, says the company’s chief executive officer. “We have $14 million worth of crop that we’re marketing now and we own a bunch of land, so we have equity,” said Gary Pike, who is one of the firm’s founders. The […] Read more
Size isn’t always the answer: One Earth
Fixing flaws at ground level | New leader says farm proves big doesn’t guarantee profits
Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to grain farming, says the head of a company that used to bill itself as the largest farm in Canada. Mike Beretta, chief executive officer of One Earth Farms, says the business model is far more important than the scope of a company. He said One Earth Farms […] Read moreFarm owner blames ownership rules
Broadacre Agriculture seeks bankruptcy protection | Pension fund ineligible to own land
One of Saskatchewan’s largest grain farms could have stayed afloat if not for a wishy-washy provincial government policy, says the company’s chief executive officer. Broadacre Agriculture has been granted creditor protection by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta after the company was unable to service its loans. The firm has until Dec. 4 to […] Read more
Frost, hail, lack of rain drain Australia’s output
Optimism fades | Most states suffered weather and disease issues but Western Australia is the ‘shining light’
Australia’s crops keep getting smaller. Rural Bank, a major Australian farm lender, has released its production estimates for the country’s major crops. The bank forecasts 23.3 million tonnes of wheat, 7.27 million tonnes of barley and 3.43 million tonnes of canola. The wheat forecast is 932,000 tonnes below the Australian government’s September estimate, and the […] Read more
Ag Growth eyes new markets
Westeel purchase | Winnipeg company acquires major competitor and famous brand
An iconic brand in the grain storage business, Westeel, is changing hands. Ag Growth International has an agreement to buy Westeel from Vicwest Inc. for $221.5 million in cash. They are both Winnipeg companies. “Westeel provides a complementary product offering to expand our growth platform within North America and around the world,” said Ag Growth […] Read more
The seven-year rich
The national voice for Canada’s canola industry knows nothing about a company that signed a $1 billion deal to ship Canadian canola oil to China. Prime minister Stephen Harper and federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz recently returned from a trade mission to China, where they witnessed LeMine Investment Group sign an agreement to ship $1 […] Read more
