EDMONTON — An old saying in the show cattle business says that there is a fine hair that splits first and second place. Rod McLeod didn’t leave anything to chance and hired a team of young cattle fitters to ensure every hair was in place on his Charolais show cattle at Farmfair International. “Us older […] Read more
News
Attention to detail pays off in show ring
Assiniboine River basin residents seek voice in flooding discussions
The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative was created to develop an organizational structure that would work co-operatively to address water related issues across the basin. Representatives from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota met in Regina Nov. 12-14 to do just that. Project manager Wanda McFadyen said the inaugural conference was intended set up a board and […] Read more
Gene selection produces bigger birds
Broiler chickens are several times larger than those from the 1950s, and the reason is simple: genetics. Martin Zuidhof of the University of Alberta did a study in 2005, when he was still with Alberta Agriculture, that compared breeds from 1957, 1978 and 2005. He and his team raised these three lines from hatching eggs […] Read more
US farmers set to get huge government payouts despite bumper harvest
By Ros Krasny and Christine Stebbins WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Nov 19 (Reuters) – U.S. farmers are about to reap a bumper harvest not just in corn and soybeans but also in new subsidies that could soar to $10 billion, blowing a hole in the government’s promise that its new five-year farm bill would save taxpayers money. If […] Read more
Forage association finds itself in financial bind
BROMONT, Que. — Building the profile of forages and grasslands in Canada has been easy compared to raising money to fund the sector’s national organization. The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association will have about $3,000 in the bank by the end of the year. Higher than expected costs to promote forages and the ending of […] Read more
Malt barley centre receives federal funding
An organization that promotes the use of Canadian malting barley has received a financial boost from the federal government. The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) will use the $1.95 million in funding to maintain existing markets for Canadian malting barley and develop new ones. “Today’s investment will boost Canada’s competitiveness in this specialized market, […] Read more
Lanworth sees drop in U.S. winter wheat area but bigger production
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Crop forecaster Lanworth predicted U.S. winter wheat production will rise in the 2015-16 marketing year as yields rebound, despite a four percent year-on-year drop in planted acreage. Lanworth, a unit of Thomson Reuters, estimated U.S. 2015-16 winter wheat plantings at 40.790 million acres, down from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2014-15 figure […] Read more
#harvest14 photo contest winners
Thank you to everyone who participated in the #harvest14 photo contest, which was an incredible success with almost 500 pictures submitted! Images of harvest equipment working, along with the families and crews that operate them, poured in from across the Prairies, and even beyond. Most were submitted through twitter, by including @westernproducer […] Read more
Harmony Beef may open next spring
Canada’s newest beef packing plant hopes to start processing cattle next spring. Harmony Beef, located north of Calgary, plans to start taking feedlot cattle for the first six months of operation to test the new systems installed. The plant was purchased by Rich Vesta and his family last year and has been under renovation ever […] Read more
ADM picks oilseed executive to lead ingredients company
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Archer Daniels Midland Co. said on Tuesday it has plucked another executive from its core oilseeds operations for a top spot in its expanding ingredients business. Chicago-based ADM, one of the world’s largest agricultural trading houses, named Ken Campbell, who was vice president of North American Oilseeds, as president of healthy ingredients […] Read more
