The Western Development Museum might not be as old as The Western Producer, but it’s getting up there. While the Producer was documenting the progress made in prairie agriculture, the Saskatchewan museum was doing the same but with physical objects. Here is a quick look at how this provincial icon developed over more than 70 […] Read more
Stories by Western Producer staff
Road trip down memory lane puts farm history in context
As The Western Producer launches features to acknowledge 100 years of serving western Canadian farmers, it seems an appropriate time to look at some agricultural milestones. The following is not a full list, by any means, and leans heavily on items from the Producer’s own evolution, but we thought readers might enjoy reflecting on a […] Read more
Rail merger called ‘transformative’ opportunity
CP says its takeover of Kansas City Southern Railway will benefit grain shippers now that the deal has been approved
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has given the green light to a proposed merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway. The STB issued its regulatory decision March 15, subject to conditions including a seven-year STB oversight period to monitor the competitive impact of the merger. With STB approval in place, the two […] Read more
UPDATE: China, Canada discuss continuation of reduced canola seed trade
Editor’s note: Readers, earlier this morning, we posted a Reuters News Service story that indicated that China had lifted the ban on Canadian canola, along with an agreement to reduce dockage in Canadian canola to one percent. The Western Producer’s journalists have now confirmed that the story is not accurate. We have taken down that […] Read more
COVID-19 a threat to rural dwellers, too – chief medical health officer
Rural residents and farmers should not be complacent about COVID-19 just because they live in more remote or sparsely populated areas, says Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer. While many rural people have posted on social media that they aren’t worried about contracting the virus and intend to carry on as usual, Dr. Saqib Shahab said […] Read more
Amalgamation still on the table for seed groups
WHISTLER, B.C. — Canada’s largest seed industry organizations continue to explore amalgamations. Officials from the Canadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA) and the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) have contemplated a merger for some time. The proposed amalgamation, a key element of a larger initiative known as Seed Synergy, would also include the Canadian Plant Technology […] Read more
Canola closes out year with small gain
Winnipeg, Dec. 29 (CNS Canada) – Canola contracts on the ICE Futures Canada platform finished slightly higher on Friday, propped up by gains in United States soybeans and soyoil. Cold temperatures across the Prairies discouraged farmer deliveries. The most-active March contract received some technical support at the C$485 per tonne mark. The market chopped around […] Read more
Canadian pursuit of TPP a wise trade strategy
Canada’s decision to pursue a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement with 10 Asian countries, including Japan, should be a given, but it’s worth noting just why this matters, especially with the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement in doubt. Canada stands to benefit in most sectors of the economy with a TPP11 deal, even more […] Read more
Canadian pulse industry still waiting for answers from India
Commodity News Service And Western Producer Staff WINNIPEG, Oct. 20 — Almost three weeks since a India pulse fumigation fee waiver expired, the Canadian pulse industry is still in the dark as to what is happening. The exemption applied to fees charged on pulses that would require fumigation upon arrival in India. With the exemption […] Read more
Time to squelch agriculture’s outdated red barn image
Rising on the horizon, emerging from the valley’s floor, peeking out from behind a tree line, the gambrel-roofed red barn is an iconic rural image. It’s a utility building with an inexpensive linseed- and fungal-resistant iron oxide paint that is burned into the collective memory. Our culture associates the red barn image with food production […] Read more
