A farmer from Pangman, Sask., says he and several others in the area were denied unseeded acreage coverage last year, even though it was too wet to seed. He wonders how many others were also left out. Jim Liggett appealed the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp.’s decision locally and to the provincial appeal panel but was […] Read more
News
Manitoba gov’t seeks to repeal hog barn moratorium
Manitoba’s hog barn moratorium might finally be purged, and a host of other farming challenges might become simpler if the provincial government has its way. The Red Tape Reduction and Government Efficiency Act would hit many areas of regulation and legislation that affect farmers, including: “remove general prohibitions from the Environment Act for the expansion […] Read more
Disease forces longer canola rotations in Manitoba
Widespread blackleg is reducing yields in south-central Manitoba and making producers rethink their crop choices
DAUPHIN, Man. — Farmers in south-central Manitoba are backing away from canola because blackleg is curbing yields and cutting into profits. Canola yields of 45, 50 or 55 bushels per acre have become normal in many parts of the Prairies, but growers in pockets of southern Manitoba are struggling to achieve those targets. “They’ve moved […] Read more
GM labelling law will not require info on label
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Food companies in the United States are getting out ahead of a pending national mandatory labelling law for genetically modified food. Campbell Soup Co. was one of the first major food companies to break ranks and come out in support of mandatory labelling. It started printing labels on its own products […] Read more
Canadian pork sector eager to form trade deal with Japan
Canada exported $3.8 billion worth of pork last year, and with limited scope for domestic market growth, producers are putting emphasis on increasing that export amount. Frank Novak, chair of Alberta Pork, said the Canadian pork industry has reduced its reliance on the U.S. market, but trade deals with other countries will be vital to […] Read more
Agriculture in the Classroom in a pickle over GM apple
An Agriculture in the Classroom webinar drew fire last week because of its content involving the controversial Arctic Apple, a variety genetically modified to be non-browning. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) said the webinar content had inappropriate product placement and collaborated with Council of Canadians and several other groups in sending a letter to […] Read more
No-till EU farmers brace for glyphosate ban
British farmer tells farm conference that thinking will have to change without access to the herbicide
LONDON, Ont. — A pioneer in British no-till farming says there’s a good chance European farmers will lose access to glyphosate. “It’s a French and German thing,” Tom Sewell said at the recent Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario conference in London. The politics of those two countries means there is pressure to ban the herbicide, […] Read more
Anti-trade sentiment worries grain firm
Dan Basse speaks at farm industry meetings around the world and he’s noticed a trend in the last six to 12 months. Growers in Argentina, Russia, Canada and Brazil smile at the meetings, but most American farmers do not. Farmers in the United States are frowning because they’re suffering from a strong U.S. dollar and […] Read more
VIDEO: Exhibit to spread canola story
People don’t always think of canola when they’re asked to think about Canada’s great innovations and success stories. That’s something the Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum is trying to change with an exhibition that will travel throughout Canada and the world during the next five years telling the canola story. It’s a multimedia exhibit explaining […] Read more
Preventing farmland from development comes with a price
COCHRANE, Alta. — Farmland is still being paved over as urban development continues between Edmonton and Calgary. The result is fragmentation and soaring land values as more people want to be close to a highway and the amenities of a large city, said Brent Swallow of the University of Alberta. His research found 3,127 sq. […] Read more
