CALGARY — The Alberta government is looking at expanding funding for a program that provides $2.5 million per year to agricultural societies to repair and upgrade facilities such as arenas and rodeo grounds relied on by rural residents. “It’s definitely a consideration,” said Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson when asked about the need for […] Read more
News
Fire breaks out at Saskatoon flour mill
MEDICINE HAT — A fire broke out at the P&H Mill in Saskatoon this morning, according to a release from the city’s fire department. Fire crews responded to the blaze after receiving a report of the incident shortly after 9:30 a.m. Friday. More than a dozen fire trucks had been dispatched to the scene as […] Read more
VIDEO: Alta. plans for water shortages
UPDATED – Video added to story January 16, 2024 – 1515 CST – MEDICINE HAT — An early January snowfall across the Prairies brought slight relief to dry conditions following one of the warmest, driest Decembers on record in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but drought concerns remain. Alberta is moving into high gear to co-ordinate agricultural, […] Read more
Falling prices ‘mow down’ crop revenue
CLANDEBOYE, Man. — Last year was the most expensive crop to ever be put in the ground on the Prairies. In 2024, farmers will spend less on fertilizer, diesel and other inputs, but costs haven’t fallen off a cliff, said Darren Bond, a farm management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, “The crop this year … the […] Read more
Looming pandemic loan deadline must not be ignored
Farmers face a significant financial hit if they don’t pay back their Canada Emergency Business Account loan by Jan. 18
WINNIPEG — It’s not the sort of thing you can afford to forget. If farmers received money from the Canada Emergency Business Account during the pandemic, missing the Jan. 18 repayment deadline could be a sharp boot to the finances. “It would be $20,000 evaporating,” said Marvin Slingerland, MNP’s national director for livestock services. Nobody […] Read more
Potential exists for high spring ’hopper hatch
Latest forecast indicates migratory grasshoppers likely to emerge in a large cluster this spring rather than more gradually
MEDICINE HAT — The number of crop-damaging grasshoppers has been rising in southern and eastern Alberta since 2021 and conditions favour the trend to continue, according to the latest forecast. The warm, dry fall and early winter may have created a situation in which most southern Alberta grasshoppers have entered diapause, a type of hibernation […] Read more
Poor profit outlook seen for oilseed sunflowers
Manitoba Agriculture has pegged the crop’s target price at 25 cents per pound, much lower than the previous two years
No one likes to finish last but Manitoba Agriculture has ranked oilseed sunflowers as the worst crop to grow in 2024. The province’s cost of production guide for crops says with yields of 2,000 pounds per acre, the profit from oilseed sunflowers will be negative $160.72 per acre, giving a return on investment of negative […] Read more
Canola, cereal crops slow waterhemp’s spread west
CLANDEBOYE, Man. — Soybeans and waterhemp go together in Manitoba like peanut butter and jelly. Find a field of soybeans and you may find waterhemp. “That’s almost always where we find it,” said Kim Brown, provincial weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. Tall waterhemp is a Tier 1 noxious weed in the province, which means it […] Read more
Renewable energy hearings enter next phase
First part of inquiry heard about the impact of solar and wind projects on pristine landscapes and their use of farmland
MEDICINE HAT — The Alberta inquiry into development of renewable energy projects is entering its final stage and hearings are set to end next month. The first part of the inquiry wrapped up just before Christmas and included input from the public, municipalities, officials from power producers and environmental experts. Discussions involved the impact of […] Read more
Uncertainty looms for hog sector in the wake of Prop 12
The impacts of a California animal welfare law that took full effect on the first day of 2024 are already being felt, according to Manitoba Pork general manager Cam Dahl. “Yes, Jan. 1 was a deadline but, in truth, Proposition 12 has been enforced since July,” he said. Proposition 12, or Prop 12, is a […] Read more
