William DeKay

Hiring and retaining employees continues to be a top priority for agriculture and will remain so for some time, says a human resources consultant and employee recruiter. “Employee recruitment is a hot topic because of the labour market shortage. People need employees and they’re not able to find them,” said Dawn Hillrud of Knibbs Human […] Read more

The planet is becoming increasingly urbanized, but most of the world’s hungry continue to be rural based and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. “Despite the fact that the world is urbanizing at a frantic pace, the concentration of hunger is still predominantly a rural phenomena in many parts,” said Jim Cornelius, executive director of […] Read more

University of Saskatchewan researchers will soon use $5 million in funding to test the effectiveness of newly developed vaccines to protect cattle against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Kenya. Scientists from the university’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization will work together over the next 40 […] Read more

Shelley Ireland is tired of her cattle being picked on. Ireland, who is known for breeding miniature bulls near Delisle, Sask., said magpies have been responsible for the deaths of four bucking bulls and four bred cows over the previous three winters. “The first year we lost four by them. The next year we lost […] Read more

Smartphones can help farmers record field data, but steer clear of free apps, says agrologist

Most smartphone owners don’t come close to using the device to its full potential, says the manager of the Conservation Learning Centre near Prince Albert, Sask. “You have a brain and only use 10 percent of it. Get a smartphone and we probably only use two percent of what it’s capable of,” George Lewko told […] Read more

Western Canadian Crop Production Show is growing in popularity — and running out of room

As agricultural equipment continues to get bigger, so too does the need for a co-ordinated effort at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon. Organizing the set-up schedule starts a month before the four-day show, held this year Jan. 12-15. Larger pieces of equipment and some smaller exhibitors are given a specific move-in time. […] Read more