SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Cattle prices made 2014 a year to remember for producers across North America, but the tide is expected to ebb, say market analysts from Cattlefax. It is likely to be another stellar year for those in the cow-calf sector, but feedlots holding high priced inventory may start to feel downward pressure, […] Read more
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Cattle prices may have peaked but expected to remain strong
Pipeline company 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
Saputo dairy says supply controls limit growth in Canada
(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 said on Thursday. CEO Lino Saputo Jr. emphasized in an interview that the company is not lobbying Ottawa to either dismantle or preserve the system, which restricts […] Read more
Researchers digging deeper into soil science
Two University of Saskatchewan researchers have been awarded $1.9 million in funding from Genome Canada to pursue work on promising new microbials. The funding is part of a $16 million research collaboration between the university, Genome Canada and Symbiota, a company from Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops and commercializes microbials. “There are remarkable commercial opportunities to […] Read more
U.S. meat group says COOL is doomed
BANFF, Alta. — The head of the National Pork Producers Council is convinced the United States will lose its final attempt to defend mandatory country-of-origin labelling at the World Trade Organization. Howard Hill, an Iowa producer and veterinarian, also believes some form of labelling on retail meat is unavoidable. “We do realize today that there […] Read more
Organic growers get lesson in humility
GUELPH, Ont. — Criticizing farmers isn’t the best way to win friends at an agricultural conference. However, Dan Kittredge managed to do it and still get a standing ovation at the Guelph Organic Conference Jan. 30. Kittredge, an organic farmer from Massachusetts and expert on soil health, said organic producers should be more “humble.” For […] Read more
On-farm storage rising
WINNIPEG — Prairie farmers show no signs of backing away from Canada’s heavy reliance on on-farm grain storage, says a marketing executive with Farm Credit Canada. More on-farm storage for fertilizer and fuel is also likely in the future, Lyndon Carlson told the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual convention. “We’re seeing at Farm Credit and around […] Read more
Rise of the field drones
When the corn begins to grow in research fields used by the University of Illinois, a robot sets to work. It goes up and down the rows, hoeing out weeds and applying herbicide. It is slow, but it works 24 hours a day in most kinds of weather and has few needs except batteries and […] Read more
Establishing a strong relationship with your landlord can help ward off future problems
BRANDON — Managing landlords is an essential part of renting land, says Saskatchewan farm accountant Lance Stockbrugger. “It has to be a two-way street, and it has to be a relationship,” Stockbrugger told Manitoba Ag Days. He said most farmland owners, especially retired farmers, have an emotional attachment to the land and aren’t looking for […] Read more
New winter wheat varieties show improved milling quality
Prairie grain growers will soon have access to new winter wheat varieties that offer higher yield potential, better disease resistance and improved end-use quality. Rob Graf, a winter wheat breeder with Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, told farmers in Saskatoon during Crop Production Week that new varieties are working their way through the pipeline and will […] Read more
