It is the kind of salacious information about frivolous government spending, unearthed by diligent opposition sleuths, that can bring governments down. Or not. A 67-page government answer tabled in Parliament Jan. 29 to an opposition MP’s written query offers a glimpse into the obtuse behind-the-scenes world of Parliament where many costly hours of staff time […] Read more
News — page 2499
Mining parliamentary trivia
Useless ag degrees? I think not
When The Daily Beast put various agricultural programs on its list of “useless” degrees last year, I blogged about it, noting the error of its assessment. So when Yahoo came out with a similar “useless” list earlier this month, listing three agriculturally related degrees in its top five, I rejected it as ridiculous. Only two […] Read more
U of S ag and–bioresources college not just for farm kids
The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources is educating its largest class of first year students in the last decade. At 231, the number of first year students is 17 percent higher than 2010, when 198 students were in the first year of the program. In 2009, there were 108 first year students. […] Read more
Grain firm paints rosy picture for marketing system
More efficient | New environment will allow companies to source and deliver grain from producer to port, says Richardson International
Changes to Western Canada’s grain marketing system will result in a more efficient grain handling system, faster movement of wheat, durum and barley and fewer delivery bottlenecks at country elevators and port terminals, says the president of Richardson International. Curt Vossen said the Canadian Wheat Board’s traditional methods of calling producers’ grain into the grain […] Read moreBarley sector failing to grow markets for lower quality malt
The Canadian barley industry has been missing out on a lucrative overseas market for medium-grade malting barley that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually to prairie growers. That is one of the key findings in a soon-to-be-released study aimed at identifying new markets and boosting returns for the Canadian barley industry. The […] Read more
Australia embraces GM technology: farmer
Manitoba Ag Days | Although one farmer says Australia supports GM, Greenpeace says consumers will never accept GM wheat
Australian grain producer Bill Crabtree is convinced that the vast majority of farmers in his country support the concept of genetically modified wheat. Crabtree, who spoke at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon last week, said it’s likely Australian farmers are more supportive of GM technology than Canadian farmers. “It would be 90 percent of (Australian) […] Read moreScientists peer inside nitrogen fixation
Process occurs when bacteria breach cell walls | Scientists discover that plants allow it to happen
A British discovery that explains how plants fix nitrogen has answered a 124-year-old question and might alter the future of crop agriculture. Since an 1887 study on the nodules that form on legume roots, scientists have tried to understand how soil bacteria breach the cell walls of legumes, which is an essential step in the […] Read moreSeedingnot likely delayed this season
Manitoba Ag Days | Dry spring predicted
BRANDON — Farmers in Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan almost certainly don’t have to worry about another saturated spring, says a leading American agricultural weather expert. They will likely face a spring and summer with a “dry bias.” However, the difference between dryish and really dry can’t be determined until La Nina shows the cards it’s […] Read moreAssociation wants rabbit producers to multiply
EDMONTON — Members of the Alberta Rabbit Producers Association want farmers to hop on over to their profitable industry. Marion Popkin, president of the newly formed association, said 100 does could easily net more than $40,000 a year. The demand for Alberta rabbit greatly exceeds supply, she added. The 25 members of the non profit […] Read more
Saskatchewan-made canola oil stumps game show contestants
Canola pioneer Keith Downey has a lengthy resume and an impressive list of accomplishments. Heralded as the “father of canola,” he’s the breeder or co-breeder of 13 rapeseed/canola varieties, receiving no shortage of acclaim, including nods from the American Oil Chemists, Agricultural Institute of Canada and inductions into the Saskatchewan and Canadian Agricultural Halls of […] Read more
