1.5 million acres | Sask. crown corp. has received 6,000 claims this year
Saskatchewan farmers planted more acres in 2013, following several wet years that caused record unseeded acreage claims to the provincial insurer. Shawn Jaques, president of Sask-atchewan Crop Insurance Corp., said as of Aug. 27 the corporation had paid about $67 million on 6,000 claims representing 1.5 million acres that couldn’t be seeded due to excess […] Read moreNews
Farmers made fewer claims for unseeded fields in 2013
Taste tests provide consumer feedback
Market testing | Program uses consumer testers to collect information on new products
EDMONTON — The hard work of developing a new food product may be for naught if it tastes lousy. Having the products taste tested by consumer testers is one more step to helping products become successful, said Nicole Gaudette, a senior sensory scientist with Alberta Agriculture. The department uses more than 2,000 consumer testers in […] Read more
Stats Can may stop Sept. survey
Crop reporting | Fall survey could be axed if satellite-generated yield estimate proves valid
This could be the last September that Canadian growers are surveyed about their crop yields. Statistics Canada is contemplating replacing its September crop production survey with a mathematical model that uses satellite data to produce production estimates. This year’s survey will be compared to the satellite-based yield results generated by the Crop Condition Assessment Program […] Read more
Sask. land value continues strong
Investment fund ‘still believers’ | Alberta company sees land price almost double since 2008
An Alberta-based investment company is selling more than 19,000 acres of farmland in Saskatchewan. Calgary-based Agcapita is winding up Farmland Fund I, the first of four farmland investment funds under the company’s management. The Registered Retirement Savings Plan eligible fund was launched in early 2008 and deployed about $10 million in investment capital, which was […] Read moreWild hogs have U.S. authorities squealing
Fields damaged by pigs | The resilient but problematic animals have been identified in 47 states
LOCUST GROVE, Okla. (Reuters) — A few years ago, Jim Vich wouldn’t have dreamed of setting up an elaborate trap to catch wild hogs. But that was before Oklahoma was invaded by a plague of pigs that devour crops, uproot pastures, destroy wildlife habitats, spread disease to humans and animals, kill trees and knock over […] Read moreFutures steady in electronic era
Computer algorithms are not causing increased volatility, study concludes
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — Futures contracts have remained largely stable in the face of increased participation from high-speed and algorithmic traders often blamed for roiling markets, according to a new study. The study, released by the Futures Industry Association, examined volatility from 2006 to 2011 in 15 futures contracts traded on platforms run by CME […] Read moreSaskatchewan farmers to get rebate for leafy spurge control
Leafy spurge is one target of a new invasive plant control program in Saskatchewan. Under the program, rural municipalities and producers will be eligible for a rebate on some of the cost of registered chemical used to control the weed. Officials with the Saskatchewan ministry of agriculture and the Sask-atchewan Association of Rural Municipalities expect […] Read more
Experts tally river otter population
COW LAKE, Alta. — River otters have never been abundant in Alberta, but their numbers seem to be increasing. Wildlife officials are trying to count them but they can be elusive in the lakes and rivers of the boreal forest, northern foothills and eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. “The problem with otters is there […] Read more
Woman finds love of her life through Producer’s personal column
The Western Producer has been a significant part of my whole life. My parents were hitched as a result of the personal column, as were my husband and I. And his parents got hitched from the Winnipeg Free Press personal column. Growing up, The Western Producer was an anticipated part of the mail each week, […] Read more
FCL confident purchase of Viterra input stores will see returns
The once dominant player in Western Canada’s crop input business continues to shed assets. A few years ago, Viterra operated 258 retail centres, representing a 35 percent share of the market. Today the company has either sold or has deals in place to sell the vast majority of those crop input outlets. The latest agreement […] Read more
