Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall has asked the federal government for $156 million in funding for an accelerated well cleanup program. The idea is to stimulate employment in the oil and gas support sector by cleaning up old wells that are no longer producing. The province estimates that the program would accelerate the decommissioning and reclamation […] Read more
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Sask. wants federal funds to clean up oil wells
Sask. ag exports hit new record
Saskatchewan agricultural exports set another record in 2015 with total sales of $15.1 billion. That is the fifth consecutive record year and surpasses the target of $15 billion by 2020 set out in the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth. It is also eight percent higher than 2014. The top three destinations of 145 countries that bought […] Read more
Alberta Pulse Growers pulls research funding
Group says it withdrew support from the U of S program because it wants a level playing field for all pulse breeders
EDMONTON — Alberta Pulse Growers has pulled its funding from the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, and some of its members aren’t happy. The organization announced its decision to cut $70,000 during its Jan. 27 annual meeting. The CDC is the main pulse research facility in Western Canada. Withdrawing the funding means Alberta seed […] Read moreSask. RMs deliver wish list to province
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities already had its financial wish list in front of the province before last week’s revelation that the government will run a deficit this year and next. But premier Brad Wall, speaking to urban municipalities, also said the province is committed to the revenue sharing formula of one percentage point […] Read more
Fallen equities market topples CME live cattle futures
CHICAGO, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed lower on Friday, weighed by cash price caution and heavy U.S. stock market losses, traders said. The day’s firm U.S. dollar and the plunge in equities tied to disappointing jobs data pulled most commodity prices lower, they said. Altin Kalo, an analyst with […] Read more
Changes ease cash advance access
Amendments to federal regulations made a year ago are now in effect, giving more producers access to cash advances and simplifying the application process. Federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay said the program is more flexible. The changes in place under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act for the 2016 program year make specific classes of breeding […] Read more
Canadian egg farmers humane hen housing switch to take 20 years
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Canada’s egg farmers plan to replace conventional hen cages with more humane conditions over the next 20 years, amid growing pressure from consumers, restaurants and food companies. The plan, announced Feb. 5 by Egg Farmers of Canada, an industry group that manages nearly all of the country’s egg supply, comes as McDonald’s […] Read more
Facebook, YouTube put farming on the map
LONDON, Ont. — Presenting a genuine image of today’s modern agriculture is of paramount importance to Andrew Campbell and Greg Peterson. Campbell has been posting daily cellphone photographs on FaceBook from his dairy farm near London, Ont., while Peterson, together with siblings Nathan, Kendall and Laura, have been releasing parody musical videos on YouTube from […] Read more
Precision ag gets cash injection
Farmers Edge, which specializes in precision agriculture and farm data management, now has more funds to support its global expansion. In late January, Mitsui & Co. and other backers announced an investment of C$58 million in the western Canadian company. Mitsui is a Japanese firm with a market capitalization of more than US$20 billion. Farmers […] Read more
Ducks Unlimited to convert 40,000 acres to forage
Prairie producers who plan to convert cultivated farmland to forages this year might end up with unexpected cash in their pockets, thanks to a program from Ducks Unlimited Canada and Crop Production Services. The two organizations have launched a forage program that provides monetary incentives to growers who are considering converting annual cropland to forage […] Read more
