Crop Management
Don’t expect a return to normal geopolitical conditions — at least not if you think the past several decades were normal. That was Janice Gross Stein’s message March 8, in an opening address to the Canadian Crops Convention. The noted political scientist and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy […] Read more
Crop Management
VIDEO: Lewis named CFA vice-president
Saskatchewan grain farmer Todd Lewis has been named the first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Lewis , a former president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, was named to the position yesterday in Ottawa. Keith Currie of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture was acclaimed as CFA president. “It’s an honour to work […] Read more
VIDEO: PM assures farmers fertilizer emissions target is voluntary
OTTAWA — Prime minister Justin Trudeau reiterated this week that the fertilizer emissions reduction target proposed by his government is voluntary. Speaking to farmers gathered at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting March 6 — a surprise late addition to the agenda — the prime minister praised farmers for their hard work and outlined […] Read more
Fertilizer prices drop relative to grain
It might surprise some farmers to hear there are “phenomenal” bargains in the fertilizer market today. Josh Linville, vice-president of fertilizer with StoneX, recently tweeted a chart showing the number of tonnes of canola required to pay for one tonne of urea. That value was 0.4 tonnes as of March 3. “Today is nearly the […] Read more
Gluten-free oat contracts fall apart
A food ingredient company in Regina is walking away from gluten-free oat contracts it signed with about 30 farmers in northeastern Saskatchewan in 2022. The numbers are estimates, but it’s possible that the affected producers could lose $4 to 5 per bushel in the value of their oats, with the production contracts voided. Purely Canada […] Read more
Wheat down on optimism Ukraine shipping deal to be extended
HAMBURG (Reuters) – Chicago wheat was weakened on Monday by expectations the safe shipping channel to export grain from war-torn Ukraine will be extended. Slow demand weighed on soybeans and corn, which fell ahead of world supply and demand estimates on Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Chicago Board of Trade most-active wheat […] Read more
Canola protein potential still seen despite Merit’s troubles
Canola promoters are anxiously watching the situation with Merit Functional Foods, the canola protein processor that has fallen into receivership. With the company quickly running out of cash, major lenders Export Development Canada and Farm Credit Canada successfully applied to the Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg to have a receiver appointed on March 1. […] Read more
Complete reset urged for transition to organics
More research is needed on closing the yield gap between conventional and organic agriculture, says a U.S. researcher. Houston Wilson, director of the University of California’s Organic Agriculture Institute, has conducted a meta-analysis of hundreds of studies on dozens of organic crops. The conclusion is that organic yields are about 20 percent lower than conventional […] Read more
U.S. gets tough on organic fraud
The United States is taking a big step toward preventing organic agriculture fraud. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Final Rule was published Jan. 19 and takes effect March 19, 2024. It is the largest revision to U.S. organic regulations since they were first published in 2000. The changes were made to address organic fraud and […] Read more
Farmers can now buy robotic weeder
The artificial intelligence-based platform was originally marketed as a service, but the new generation will be for sale
FarmWise has drastically changed the design of its robotic weeding platform and its business model with the launch of its Vulcan three-point-hitch weeder. The American start-up originally designed the robotic Titan FT35 to scan vegetable crop rows with artificial intelligence (AI), which decides what plants should be mechanically eliminated with its weeding arms. The company […] Read more
