Smartphones can help farmers record field data, but steer clear of free apps, says agrologist
Most smartphone owners don’t come close to using the device to its full potential, says the manager of the Conservation Learning Centre near Prince Albert, Sask. “You have a brain and only use 10 percent of it. Get a smartphone and we probably only use two percent of what it’s capable of,” George Lewko told […] Read moreNews
Farming apps open possibilities for new farm tool
Merck funds tests to explore lower dose Zilmax use in U.S.
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — Merck & Co. is funding the testing of lower dosages of its controversial cattle growth drug Zilmax. Livestock experts say the initiative is crucial if the company is to resume sales of the product to the U.S. beef industry. It’s been nearly 18 months since Merck pulled the drug from the […] Read more
Ag Notes
Flax commission elects directors New directors have joined the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission. Dave Sefton of Broadview and Jordon Hillier of Southey will sit on the board for three-year terms, while Nancy Johns of Zelma fills the remaining year of a vacant three-year term. They join Erwin Hanley of Regina, Shane Stokke of Watrous and […] Read more
Which statistics?
Number of organic farmers in Canada:
Verifying the number of organic farms in Canada is not an easy task. News releases and promotional materials from organic groups often report that the number of certified organic farms grew by 66.5 percent in Canada from 2001-2011. That number is from federal census data, but organic industry estimates tell a different story. The number […] Read moreU.S. a ready-made market for prairie organics
Canadian companies are forced to import organic grain to satisfy domestic demand
America is the largest market in the world for organic food. Consumers in that country bought nearly $30 billion worth of organic food and beverages in 2012, up 10 percent from the previous year, according to the World of Organic Agriculture report, an annual publication featuring organic trends and statistics. However, North American farmers can’t […] Read more
Consumers want organic, so why are farmers wary?
Canada’s organic industry has a popularity problem. Each year, Canadians buy more organic beef, more organic breakfast cereal and more organic soymilk than the previous year. The public’s hunger for organic food seems insatiable and consumer demand is expected to expand exponentially, but can supply meet the demand? Paying $8 for a small box of […] Read more
Web marketing tool designed to helper farmers discover prices
Grain producers will soon have access to a new web-based marketing tool aimed at improving market transparency for farmers and providing information on cash prices. The Crop Data and Price Reporting project, launched by the Alberta Wheat Commission, will lead to the development of a web-based tool that will provide information on cash grain prices […] Read more
U.S., Brazil expanding biotech crop plantings
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Farmers in the United States and Brazil, two agricultural powerhouses, last year increased plantings of biotech crops faster than the global rate of expansion for such plantings, according to a report issued on Wednesday. U.S. farmers planted biotech crops on 180.6 million acres, up 4.3 percent from 2013, while Brazil increased biotech […] Read more
PotashCorp’s profit beats expectations as potash sales rise, costs fall
(Reuters) — Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan , the world’s biggest fertilizer company by market capitalization, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strong potash sales and lower costs. The company’s U.S.-listed shares rose 1.3 percent premarket. PotashCorp, the second-biggest potash producer by output after Russia’s Uralkali OAO, said on Thursday that improving phosphate market conditions […] Read more
U.S. grain farmers add debt as crop prices squeeze cash flow
CHICAGO (Reuters) — U.S. grain farmers are boosting demand for loans from farm banks as five-year lows in crop prices squeeze operating budgets ahead of spring planting, according to a national survey of farm bankers issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on Wednesday. “Reduced profits in the crop sector persisted in the […] Read more
