Canada’s major railways earned more than $1.1 billion moving western Canadian grain in 2012-13. Documents provided by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) show revenues of $556 million at Canadian National Railway and $544 million at Canadian Pacific Railway. Those revenues were closely aligned with allowable railway earnings under the federal railway revenue caps. CN revenues […] Read more
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CP exceeds rail revenue cap, CN comes in below
Ritz positive about insurance program
After years of discussions and a largely successful pilot project in Alberta, federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz says he is confident 2014 will produce significant progress in trying to create price-based livestock insurance. He is predicting a multi-province scheme by 2015. Part of the reason for the optimism is growing government and industry support as […] Read more
’Tis the season for giving, and sometimes for taking away
How does the Canada Revenue Agency stack up against Santa Claus in new tax presents for the 2013 tax year? Well, sometimes the comparison might be more appropriate with Scrooge than Santa, but some goodies have been given out along the way as well. The Scrooge category included a decision to restrict farm losses. Based […] Read more
Lock in interest rates to reduce risk: farm lender
Prepare for higher costs, lower profit | Increase working capital, restructure debt or consider operating line of credit
CHICAGO, Ill. — One of the largest farm lenders in the United States says it’s time for farmers to consider locking in interest rates and building working capital. Bill Johnson, president of Farm Credit Mid-America, said agriculture is heading into a period of higher interest rates and lower commodity prices. There appears to be a […] Read moreSnow blamed for two barn collapses in Alta.
RED DEER — Snowstorms were blamed for two barn collapses in Alberta Dec. 15 that required rescue operations for trapped livestock. About two dozen dairy cows died in Lacombe County when half of a barn roof caved in. “It was a portion of a barn, probably about a 150-foot section, with 100 cattle in there […] Read more
Scientists reject neonic-DDT comparisons
Power of social media | Belief is growing online that neonicotinoid seed treatments are as dangerous to wildlife as DDT
Something that is repeated often enough will eventually be assumed to be true, says Joe Schwarz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science & Society. If Schwarz is right, North Americans may soon think that neonicotinoids are just as dangerous as one of history’s most notorious chemicals. That’s because environmental groups, activists and some scientists […] Read moreFarmers advised to conduct on-farm trials
Seeds, chemicals and farm equipment are all tested by manufacturers and other researchers to ensure they perform well on the farm, but how compatible are those results with individual operations? On-farm crop testing may be farmers’ best bet. Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko, a research scientist with Alberta Agriculture, says many farmers are drawn to experimentation. “They’re a […] Read more
RCMP still looking for missing cattle in fraud case
Tracking transactions | Police have yet to locate more than 600 cows that were sold illegally in Alberta
The search continues for more than 600 cattle related to an Alberta fraud conviction stemming from an RCMP investigation that began in 2009. Timothy William Flad, 47, of Brownfield, Alta., was convicted in September of cattle theft over $5,000. The police investigation revealed that Flad sold cattle he had financed without notifying the lender he […] Read moreNRC to lay off 57 positions
The National Research Council is in the middle of a nation-wide workforce adjustment process that will result in job losses at NRC locations across the country. NRC officials confirmed Dec. 20 that 57 positions will be eliminated across the country, including six in Halifax, 20 in Quebec, 18 in Ontario, one in Winnipeg and eight […] Read more
Dutch researchers examine open housing systems for hogs
The Swine Innovation Centre at Sterksel and Wageningen University are testing new systems to see how animals adjust when they are no longer confined. Their work was shown to a recent Canadian farm tour hosted by the Netherland’s economic affairs ministry. Anne-Marie van Bussel, head of research development at the centre, said gestation stalls were […] Read more
