Ron Frederick knew something was amiss when he visited the Northern Beef Packers plant in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this summer. Even though the $110 million facility opened last fall, plant employees weren’t slaughtering cattle when Frederick, the South Dakota Beef Industry Council executive director, toured the plant in late June. “They processed cattle the day […] Read more
News
North Dakota slaughter plant closes
Manitoba crop report
Southwest After weeks of cool temperatures, warmer weather returned in mid-August. Daily highs near 30 C should accelerate crop development for soybeans and corn. Grasshoppers remain the primary insect pest in the eastern and central portions of the region. Hay yields are slightly below normal or average. Cereal silage yields reported as average. Central Winter […] Read more
Saskatchewan Crop Report for Aug. 6 -12
Warm weather has helped speed crop development, however warm conditions are needed to advance crops during harvest. Crop development is 10 days to two weeks behind normal in many areas. Most crops are filling, with crops in some areas podding and finishing flowering. In western regions, winter cereals are ready to straight cut and producers […] Read more
West Hawk Lake facility closing for good
The West Hawk Lake livestock check point is closing for good due to lack of funding. The checkpoint was temporarily closed earlier this year. It is located on the Trans-Canada highway on the Manitoba-Ontario border and collected data on livestock moving across the country. This site was the only road linking the eastern and western […] Read more
Sask. planning drainage rule changes
New rules that deal with agricultural drainage in Saskatchewan could be in place by early 2015. Saskatchewan environment minister Ken Cheveldayoff says new regulations that deal with agricultural drainage will become a priority once Saskatchewan’s Water Security agency concludes a seven-month consultation process, which runs from Sept. 1 to March 31, 2014. After that is […] Read more
Canola continues to make up lost ground
Canola continued its multi-day rebound on a day when everything in the grains was green. November canola clambered back over the $500 mark, closing up $8.40 per tonne at $502.60 and January maintaining its carry at $508.50. That echoed gains in soybean oil and soybeans, the leaders of the grains complex. Markets have been spooked […] Read more
Low protein wheat likely to see price discounts
Price discounts are likely to appear on low protein spring wheat this year due to shifting market fundamentals, say market analysts. “One of the big hindrances is the current protein levels on our winter wheat harvest have been just tremendously high,” said Jim Peterson, marketing director of the North Dakota Wheat Commission. The U.S. hard […] Read more
Honeybees play role in boosting canola yields
BROOKS, Alta. — Bees can increase canola yields by five to 20 percent, which can be significant considering its market price and associated input costs. Shelley Hoover, apiculture research scientist with Alberta Agriculture, explained bee benefits July 31 during a field day at the Crop Diversification Centre in Brooks. “Whether or not putting honeybees on […] Read more
Fear mounts over increase in BRD drug resistance
Few antibiotics available | BRD specimens examined by a U.S. lab showed resistance rose substantially from 2009-11
A recently published survey of U.S. cattle records shows evidence that multidrug resistance within the bacteria that causes bovine respiratory disease is growing. BRD is a significant disease for the livestock industry and costs of managing it can total $1 billion annually in the U.S. In Canada, more than 80 percent of drugs are directed […] Read more
Ships set to load as Churchill opens for season
Exports of western Canadian grain are moving again through the Port of Churchill. The first grain ship of the 2013 shipping season was loaded last week at the northern Manitoba port. The ship, Atlantic Dream, will carry CWB spring wheat destined for Mexico. As o16f last week, two more grain ships were anchored at Churchill, […] Read more
