Hiring and retaining employees continues to be a top priority for agriculture and will remain so for some time, says a human resources consultant and employee recruiter. “Employee recruitment is a hot topic because of the labour market shortage. People need employees and they’re not able to find them,” said Dawn Hillrud of Knibbs Human […] Read more
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Farmers struggle with labour shortage
Farms and families should take note of federal tax changes
The federal government has introduced some tax changes for the 2014 tax year. The lifetime capital gains exemption for dispositions after 2013 of qualified small business corporation shares and qualified farm and fishing property has increased to $800,000 from $750,000 the previous year. Reserves produced in the current year as a result of the above […] Read more
Plant breeder bill leads to royalties: economist
Legislation aimed at expanding plant breeders’ rights in Canada will set the stage for a new royalty collection system on new certified seed varieties, says an agricultural economist from the University of Saskatchewan. Professor Richard Gray told the senate agriculture and forestry committee recently that passage of Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act, will “significantly […] Read more
TransCanada may ship more oil by rail
TransCanada Corp. says it will likely begin shipping Canadian crude oil by rail. Shawn Howard, a spokesperson for the Canadian pipeline company, said negotiations are underway with customers who are looking for ways to move crude using alternate modes of transportation. Until now, TransCanada has shipped crude exclusively through pipelines. Delays in pipeline approvals have […] Read more
Sask. subsoil remains saturated, says agency
Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency says spring runoff should be near normal in the grain belt, based on conditions at the end of January. However, there’s plenty of winter yet to come and the situation could still change dramatically. Curtis Hallborg, manager of flow forecasting and operations, said snowfall was below normal through January but not […] Read more
CWB sells Winnipeg office but will remain building tenant
CWB has sold its downtown Winnipeg office tower. President Ian White confirmed Feb. 5 that the eight-storey office tower has been sold for $9.7 million to Hopewell, a property investment company from Calgary. CWB will continue to occupy two floors in the building. Company staff are currently housed on a single floor, but a second […] Read more
Dairy controls limit growth, says Saputo
(Reuters) — Canada’s tightly managed dairy sector limits domestic opportunities for Saputo Inc., the country’s largest dairy, forcing it to focus on growth elsewhere, the company’s chief executive officer said. Lino Saputo Jr. emphasized in an interview that the company is not lobbying Ottawa to either dismantle or preserve the system, which restricts how much […] Read more
Alberta gov’t plans to capture wild horses
The Alberta government hopes to capture 50 to 60 wild horses in the Alberta foothills to help protect sensitive rangeland north of Banff. “It comes down to rangeland health. It is an age-old story with feral horses and the terrain out there. Their numbers are such that they’re causing some damage out there. We have […] Read more
What’s in store for cattle prices?
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Unprecedented cattle and beef prices have put the jingle back in producers’ spurs. Prices have slumped a bit in the new year, but they are still considerably higher than at the end of 2013. “It’s an awful good market, and it is an awful good time to be in the business,” […] Read more
Canola group questions ‘intermediate’ resistance claim
Canterra Seeds has tried to clarify claims about the clubroot resistance level of its CS2000 canola seed variety following questions from the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. The seed company said Feb. 4 that its statement that the new variety has an “intermediate” level of reaction to the new 5x pathotype of clubroot may present a […] Read more
