Trains were the only practical way to move people and goods until the arrival of all-weather roads in the 1950s and 1960s
From when the last spike was driven to complete Canada’s trans-continental railway in 1885 to today, the country’s rail system has been the linchpin holding the nation together while opening up the Prairies for settlement by farmers. But as much as the railway was needed to open up agriculture in the West, the railway needed […] Read moreNews
Sask. canola, flax groups vote to merge
SaskCanola and SaskFlax have been sharing offices, admin for about a year
Saskatchewan flax and canola growers approved plans to amalgamate their organizations in a Jan. 9 vote. Producer support for the merger of SaskCanola and SaskFlax was “overwhelming,” the groups said in a Jan. 10 news release. The organizations held a joint annual general meeting to share results of member feedback before taking the issue to […] Read more
Company focuses on retention
VANSCOY, Sask. — Carol McLennan is a graduate of the program. Ethan Bertholet came through it a decade ago. And Shauna Chesney is in the program right now. In an age when employers struggle to retain talent, the success of BASF’s Professional Development Program is evident in the number of staff members who are PDP […] Read more
Commodity prices to stay high
REUTERS — HSBC said Jan. 2 that squeezed supply, improved Chinese demand and the global energy transition will keep commodity prices elevated in 2024 before falling in the following year. “We forecast commodity prices to rise by an average of two percent in 2024 and fall by four percent in 2025,” HSBC wrote in a […] Read more
El Nino delivered warm prairie December
December was a warm month. After the early shot of wintery weather in some parts of the Prairies in late October, many of us expected a nasty cold winter. That has not materialized. What I like best about the winter so far is that, technically, it is more than two-fifths over. Heck, in a couple […] Read more
FCC announces new 4R incentive
Farm Credit Canada is prepared to pay farmers up to $2,000 to adopt 4R nutrient management practices using AgExpert, it announced Jan. 10. “We see an opportunity to reward FCC customers who follow Fertilizer Canada’s 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program,” said FCC president Justine Hendricks in a news release. “Streamlining the data management and verification process […] Read more
Gov’t and grower groups commit $4.2 million for root rot research
WINNIPEG — Serious dollars have been committed to a serious problem for pulse growers — root rot. Saskatchewan agriculture minister David Marit announced today $2.5 million in provincial and federal funding to find solutions for root rot in peas and lentils. In addition, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Western Grains Research Foundation, Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, Results […] Read more
Pulses seen as COP28 winner
SASKATOON — A recently concluded global meeting on climate change has created a huge opportunity for pulses, say industry officials. They contend that the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP28) has paved the way for increased global attention and investment in crops such as peas, lentils, chickpeas […] Read more
Warm December delighted grain beetles; farmers not so much
CALGARY — Unusually warm weather that lasted into early January prompted a Saskatchewan farmer to warn producers about hot spots and insects in grain bins. “I’m hearing that more and more farmers are finding bugs,” said Michael Reimer, who primarily grows durum wheat near Eston, Sask. “I mean, a year ago, we were at minus […] Read more
Court remedy sought for unfulfilled contracts
Sask. company claims equipment breakdown at a third-party mill caused it to declare force majeure on contracted oats
REGINA — More than two dozen farmers are moving ahead with legal action against Purely Canada Foods after it failed to honour contracts for gluten-free oats. A Jan. 8 news release said the 27 farmers had completed mandatory mediation with Purely Canada, and its parent company Above Foods, in late 2023 but the matter had […] Read more
