When John Coté and his wife Barb Stefanyshyn-Coté started farming in 1990, their routine wasn’t much different than that of generations of prairie farmers who preceded them: wake up, do chores, go to bed. Sixteen years later there has been a metamorphosis on their grain and oilseed farm near Leask, Sask. “Without a word of […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Trademark threatens organic regulation
Efforts to launch an organic regulation in Canada before the end of the year have hit a potential snag. Before the federal government establishes a national regulation it needs to possess the trademark for the term “Canada Organic.” That trademark is the property of the Canadian Organic Advisory Board, a non-profit organization that helped develop […] Read more
Two sides claim victory at international conference
Competing interests have different takes on what transpired at a United Nations meeting on biodiversity in Brazil. Environmental activists say supporters of the terminator gene were dealt an Arnold Schwarzenegger-sized blow at the eighth gathering of the Convention on Biological Diversity held in March. “They had a crushing defeat,” said Pat Mooney, executive director of […] Read more
Market conditions right to grow desi chickpeas
Poor weather conditions in India and Pakistan have created a good opportunity for desi chickpea growers in Canada, says a U.S. pulse broker who specializes in servicing markets in Southeast Asia. Reports from analysts and crop traders indicate both countries have experienced production difficulties with their winter pulse crops. At the same time Australia, Canada’s […] Read more
Peas pose option for ethanol
Ethanol’s corn versus wheat debate might have to be broadened to include another crop, American researchers have found. Nancy Nichols, a microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, said preliminary data shows peas could also be a nice fit for the industry in certain regions of North America. Although primarily thought of […] Read more
Growing a profit – how some farmers are making it BIG – Special Report (about)
Commodity agriculture is an unforgiving, low margin business not for the faint of heart. National net farm income statistics may show that the industry is in trouble and some sectors are losing money, but this masks the fact that even in hard times some do well. The Western Producer’s Sean Pratt talked with farm management […] Read more
Growing a profit – how some farmers are making it BIG – Special Report (main story)
Danny Klinefelter stumbled onto an interesting discovery while working as a lender during the farm financial crisis in the 1980s. Scouring through hundreds of income statements and balance sheets during the worst era in farming since the Great Depression, he noticed that while some farmers were filing for bankruptcy, others were very profitable. A popular […] Read more
Large farms profitable, but at what cost? – Special Report – (story 2)
Economists say it is an irrefutable fact that size matters when it comes to commodity-based agriculture. Studies show that high profit farms are consistently larger than low profit farms because they take advantage of economies of scale, spreading their fixed costs over a larger land base or herd size. “If you’re a commodity producer you’re […] Read more
Step out of comfort zone – Special Report – (story 3)
The best way to become a more profitable farmer is to rub elbows with people who share similar ambitions, according to consultants and economists. That doesn’t mean shooting the breeze with a successful neighbour at the local coffee shop. Producers need to expose themselves to new ideas, fresh opinions from farmers in different regions of […] Read more
Pot growers spreading but not an epidemic
Rural marijuana grow operations have been in the news in recent months but there is no cause for alarm, say police. “It’s not an epidemic. There’s not a flood of them,” said RCMP spokesperson Brian Jones. A Mayfair, Sask., man is on trial for allegedly running a $120,000 pot enterprise out of an abandoned school. […] Read more
