Alberta grain producers hope they can answer corporate questions about sustainability when the big food companies come calling. About 40 farmers have joined a pilot project to test three initiatives and gain a better idea of what sus-tainability means at the grassroots level. Jason Lenz is one of those farmers. He believes many of the […] Read more
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Program geared to satisfy push for sustainable practices
Broadacre executives receive extension, retention bonuses
Editor’s note: This story has been altered from the original online version and the print version to acknowledge that some documents have since been redacted. A judge has approved a plan to retain the executives of a failed large Saskatchewan farm to oversee the sale of its assets. The Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta […] Read more
Ivory Coast hikes cashew nut output
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (Reuters) — Cashew nut production in Ivory Coast rose 14 percent last year to 560,000 tonnes. The increase is in line with the country’s aim to become the world’s top producer. Ivory Coast is the world’s top cocoa grower, but a decade ago it was just a middling cashew producer, growing 80,000 […] Read more
Experts study micronutrients effect on disease, yields
WHITE CITY, Sask. — Micronutrient deficiencies rarely cause huge yield losses, but soil scientist Jeff Schoenau says the elements are still essential for a healthy crop. The University of Saskatchewan researcher recently used copper uptake as an example at the recent Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation crop management seminar. He said copper uptake is only […] Read more
China helps fill fertilizer gap
Growers can thank China not only for bolstering crop prices but for keeping input costs in check, says a fertilizer analyst. David Asbridge, president of NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service, said urea prices could have been ugly last year if it wasn’t for the Asian powerhouse. Production curtailments in Ukraine and Egypt caused a dramatic reduction […] Read more
Mosaic profit nearly triples on strong fertilizer sales
(Reuters) —Mosaic’s fourth quarter profit nearly tripled, helped by strong demand for phosphates and potash. The world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products said it expects to sell 2.8 to 3.1 million tonnes of phosphates at US$440 to $465 per tonne in the current quarter. The company sold 2.7 million tonnes of phosphate at an […] Read more
Kenyan weir eases village hardships, waters livestock
A weir on the Ngeng’ River provides water for domestic use and livestock during periods of drought and also prevents flooding after heavy rains
ENGILAE, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Samuel Lontogunye has long weathered regular shortages of water and food, but he believes a recent addition to his drought-prone village could change that: a water-harvesting facility. Lontogunye and other members of his community on the fringes of Kenya’s Rift Valley have built a weir at the nearby Ngeng’ […] Read moreWeather worries U.S. ranchers
Many states including Texas and Oklahoma are still suffering from drought, and producers see herd expansion as risky
ZUEHL, Texas (Reuters) — Texas rancher Jim Rackley would like to expand his cattle herd to take advantage of sizzling beef prices and growing demand from health-conscious consumers for his grass-fed beef. However, the prospect of cloudless skies keeps him cautious. Rackley’s worries over a lack of rain are typical of many U.S. beef cattle […] Read moreGrowers’ seek new master agreement
TABER, Alta. — Ninety years is a long time for an agricultural commodity group to survive, as Alberta Sugar Beet Growers has done. It’s also long enough for important documents to be lost in the shuffle of time and paperwork. Such is the case for the master agreement between the growers and their processor, Lantic […] Read more
BSE case shows value of testing
‘Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas,’ says Alberta’s chief veterinarian of BSE surveillance
RED DEER — The latest discovery of a BSE-infected animal in Alberta should not spell the end of testing. In fact, the opposite should happen, Gerald Hauer, Alberta’s chief veterinarian, told the Alberta Beef Industry Conference, which was held in Red Deer Feb. 18-20. “Now is not the time to take our foot off the […] Read more
