19 percent of canola uninsured last year; ‘risk and hope’ philosophy alive and well on many farms
A lot of prairie farmers take a chance every year that the weather will be kind to them. Larry Weber, analyst with Weber Commodities, compared the number of insured acres in 2017 with Statistics Canada’s official estimate of crop size and found a big gap. Western Canada’s canola growers insured 18.5 million acres of the […] Read moreNews
Milligan BioFuels shuttered
Milligan BioFuels has entered receivership. The company from Foam Lake, Sask., was well known in Western Canada for its ability to take oilseeds that were mostly destined for farm pits and turn them into useful products. The company that is managing Milligan’s finances has suggested that it will be entertaining offers to sell it as […] Read more
What’s not to like about ranching in Hawaii?
Cattle operation traces its roots to 1847 when an American sailor and his Hawaiian wife bought the first two acres
Purebred Charolais and Angus cows were calving in January on the Parker Ranch in Hawaii. Winter temperatures in the high 20s C contrasted sharply with what was going on back home in Manitoba the day we toured the Hawaii ranch. Family members were calving out cows in -30 C weather, making sure calves were born […] Read more
Sask. family says goodbye to original farmstead well
For the last 50 years, members of the Horne family have been avoiding going near the 100-year-old blacksmith shop that housed the original well on their farm near Swift Current in southwestern Saskatchewan. The earth in one corner of the shop had collapsed over the years, exposing the wellhead and leaving the family wondering about […] Read more
Women recruited to test boar meat
Women are being used in the study because they are said to have a more sensitive palate when it comes to consuming boar meat
Female consumers across Europe have been asked to assess the taste of boar burgers compared to meat from castrated pigs. The research is designed to evaluate whether boar meat tastes better or worse than regular pork from castrated male pigs. Researchers chose only women for the taste tests because women are said to have a […] Read more
New ag group focuses on mental health
Soon after Kim Keller found out that a farmer had died by suicide, she took to social media to call on the agriculture community to do more for mental health. The response from others who shared their personal struggles was huge, she said, and discussions on the topic have only grown since. “The entire industry […] Read more
Energy efficiency funding available in Alberta
The Alberta and federal governments announced $81 million in new funding as way to save costs and reduce emissions
Alberta farmers, ranchers and food processors will have access to $81 million over the next four years to make their operations more energy efficient, thanks to new funding from the provincial and federal governments. Alberta Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier announced Jan. 29 that the funds are available to producers who want to install solar panels, […] Read more
Avoiding stress best bet for healthy crops
What’s the best way to deal with stress? The most effective strategy might be to avoid it completely, says plant researcher Karen Tanino. “My research approach is to look at avoidance mechanisms,” said Tanino, a plant physiologist at the University of Saskatchewan who studies abiotic stress factors in agricultural crops. “We have a lot of […] Read more
Wolves move in when ag moves out
A wolf called Naya was fitted with a tracking collar as a cub, which has allowed researchers to monitor its progress across Europe
A lone wolf being monitored by European researchers is revealing how far the animals sometimes travel and their rising population in areas where agriculture once dominated. Naya the wolf was fitted with a collar incorporating a tracking device as a six-month-old cub by researchers at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. In October last […] Read moreCBOT weekly outlook: USDA report delivers no surprises for traders
WINNIPEG(CNS) – The latest report released from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had no surprises for traders at Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) leaving the March corn and soybean contracts little changed. “I think that brokers right now are on the phone talking to their customers, probably some co-ops, elevators are also and […] Read more
