Saskatchewan’s harvest was 71 percent complete before heavy rains swept through most of the grain belt Wednesday and Thursday. The weekly provincial crop report said 21 percent is either swathed or ready to straight combine. The five-year average for this time of year is 60 percent combined and 23 percent ready. By region, the west-central […] Read more
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Sask. crop report
Stampede says drug testing protocols were valid
The Calgary Stampede’s appeal committee has upheld the decision to disqualify the winning steer in its Steer Classic competition after it tested positive for drug use. In a news release, the Calgary Stampede said the appeal panel agreed the competition’s rules were “explicit and clear” and the drug testing protocols were valid. The grand champion […] Read more
China to lower corn self-sufficiency to 90 percent, boost imports
NANCHANG, China (Reuters) — China, the world’s second-largest corn consumer, is likely to rely more on imports and lower its self-sufficiency ratio for the grain to 90 percent by 2020, an executive at the country’s top corn trader said on Thursday. Based on current import levels, China’s self-sufficiency ratio for corn could hit 93 percent […] Read more
CCA defends use of growth promotants in beef production
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is defending the use of growth promotants in beef production, following A&W’s announcement that all of its burgers are made and will be made from cattle “raised without any added steroids or hormones.” In a statement, the CCA said the relevant science clearly shows that growth promotants, which improve feed efficiency […] Read more
Argentina seen harvesting more wheat this year despite frost
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) — Argentina is on track to harvest more wheat this season than last as greater acreage and coming warm weather should offset any yield loss caused by recent frosts that hit in the last days of the Southern Hemisphere winter. The grain powerhouse should produce more than the 8.2 million tonnes it […] Read more
Avenue to citizenship may have advantages
DRESDEN, Ont. — Providing an avenue to citizenship for foreign agricultural workers is an option worth exploring, says a senior researcher with the George Morris Centre. “If we talk to people who have had workers to a large extent, they feel they’re excellent workers and if there was a way to bring them into Canada, […] Read more
Silent auction less competitive
Younger people are making a change in how they conduct silent auctions. Kudos to them. I was always uncomfortable with the old way of holding silent auctions. Items were laid out on a table with bid sheets beside each one. This style of fundraiser waited for one person to outbid the previous name on the […] Read more
COOL discussed at Tri-National Agricultural Accord
Country-of-origin labelling rules and low-level presence of genetically modified crops in commodity shipments were expected to dominate talks at the Tri-National Agricultural Accord in Saskatoon this week. The annual accord, which ran this year from Sept. 23–25, involved close to 100 agricultural delegates from Canada, Mexico and the United States, who were in Saskatchewan to […] Read more
Agrium warns of lower potash volumes but hikes payout
(Reuters) — Canadian fertilizer company Agrium Inc. warned that its potash volumes are expected to be about 30 percent lower than normal in the current quarter, but raised its dividend 50 percent, saying that agriculture’s longer-term fundamentals are strong. Potash prices have slipped since mid-summer, when the biggest global producer Uralkali quit its export partnership […] Read more
China to invest in over seven million acres of Ukrainian farmland: report
SHANGHAI (Reuters) — China is to buy 7.4 million acres of Ukrainian farmland, media said on Sunday, which would make Ukraine China’s largest overseas farming centre as it strives to keep pace with rising food demand. China’s official Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has signed an agreement with Ukrainian agricultural firm KSG Agro, which would […] Read more
