The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association has appointed Craig Douglas as its chief executive officer. Douglas had been serving as interim CEO since May and was previously the association’s policy analyst. The SCA collects the beef checkoff from more than 20,000 beef cattle producers in the province. “The SCA is excited to have someone with Craig’s experience, […] Read more
News
SCA has new CEO
Microbial cocktail may fight fire blight
Agriculture Canada research | Bacterial disease can be devastating for apple, pear producers
Promising field trials have found that common microorganisms can reduce fire blight in apple and pear orchards by up to 50 percent. However, it is uncertain when producers will benefit from the findings. Agriculture Canada’s researchers have discovered that two common orchard microorganisms, a bacterium and a bacteriophage, provide a naturally occurring and environmentally friendly […] Read moreFederal gov’t announces way to reward volunteer firefighters
Residents of small towns are usually heavily involved in community initiatives. Whether it is sitting on town council or volunteering at the community centre, small towns thrive off of the time invested by their citizens. Volunteer firefighters are especially needed in these smaller communities. Individuals volunteer not only their time but their safety to ensure […] Read more
U.S. farm service firm partners with Alta. retailer
DynAgra, CHS Inc. alliance | The deal will allow DynAgra to expand its product line and access new markets
An American company that bills itself as the largest farmer-owned co-operative in the United States has taken another step into the western Canadian marketplace. CHS Inc. announced last week that it has reached a partnership agreement with DynAgra Corp., an independent farm retailer based at Beiseker, Alta. Officials from CHS and DynAgra were unavailable to […] Read moreQuebec company seeking wheat for special flour
Sustainable agriculture farming | Grain industry changes may prompt miller to source wheat from the West
Changes to the grain industry in Quebec could prompt a miller in that province to look west for wheat crops grown with fewer chemicals. The move revisits an idea previously left dormant on the Prairies. Elisabeth Vachon, an agronomist with Moulins de Soulanges, a miller that produces specialty flour, said the company may need to […] Read moreRural Saskatchewan unplugged
SaskTel discontinues rural wireless internet | Customers say price goes up, service goes down
Thousands of internet users in rural Saskatchewan will be forced to look for new service this year, and some of them aren’t impressed with the alternatives. SaskTel, Saskatchewan’s provincially owned telephone and telecommunications company, has been informing rural internet subscribers for the past month that its wireless broadband internet service (WBBI) will be terminated by […] Read moreFormer CWB directors try top court
The lawyer representing eight former CWB directors says his clients will likely know within six months if the Supreme Court of Canada will hear their case. “And I would expect that if leave were granted by, say, Jan. 15 of next year, that we would almost certainly have had our full hearing on the merits […] Read more
CN to expand fleet to meet energy, ag sector demands
Canadian National Railway says its plan to add more than 550 hopper cars should boost efficiencies in grain movement. The hopper car additions are part of a larger rolling stock acquisition strategy that will see CN add more than 2,200 new freight cars to its fleet in 2012 as well as 1,300 new containers for […] Read more
Hogs, finance, speculation, insurance, gambling, vampire squids
I’m always vexed by prairie farmers’ resistance to hedging. Don’t get me wrong. I know lots of farmers hedge lots of grain, cattle, hogs, etc. But lots don’t. At all. Which then makes them vulnerable to price meltdowns which happen all too regularly. (Nouriel Roubini’s Crisis Economics of a couple of years ago does a […] Read more
Alta. ag minister reassures public over tainted beef scare
Alberta agriculture minister Verlyn Olson attempted to shore up flagging consumer confidence in beef safety today during a news conference about the temporary closure of the XL Foods processing plant in Brooks, Alta. “When you think about the volume of food that is produced and the volume of beef that is produced in this province, […] Read more
