Memo to members of the chattering classes: none of the registered national political parties is the Jack Layton Party. He is leader of something called the New Democratic Party and while Layton took it to unprecedented heights in the May 2 election — almost 30 percent of the vote, 103 seats and official opposition status […] Read more
News
Jack Layton is a good leader, but he is not the New Democratic Party
BEES: busy workers around farm
Alberta beekeepers are pondering ways to continue hive health monitoring programs after a three-year honeybee pest surveillance program ends this fall. Continued research into bee health is especially important in a province where the hybrid canola seed industry depends on bees for crop pollination and where beekeepers are paid to provide pollination services. “How do […] Read more
Miniature chopper scouts fields
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — U.S. crop advisers are field scouting with remote control helicopters that could be straight out of the movies. “The AutoCopter G15 is a gas powered remote control helicopter on steroids,” AutoCopter president Don Effren told the InfoAg precision farming conference in Springfield July 12. He said the operator can stop on a […] Read more
Spending money to make money a fact of life
The sucking sound you hear is likely coming from your bank account. With harvest approaching, this is the prime time for unexpected, unbudgeted expenses. How do you spend money? Let me count the ways. (Apologies to Shakespeare.) It’s a big year for fungicide use. Name the crop and there’s a disease threat and a potential […] Read more
Seed firms keep bees buzzing
Crop production worth $600 million a year in southern Alberta is reliant on one little insect: the bee. The burgeoning hybrid seed canola business has kept Alberta beekeepers abuzz in recent years, helping them stabilize and expand their operations. They and canola seed companies, which include some of the world’s largest agribusinesses such as Bayer […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Aug. 4, 2011
MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Winter wheat above average Showers and non-scorching conditions helped southwestern crops advance well. Late seeded cereals are tillering and going into the flag leaf stage, while earlier seeded crops are heading. Considerable amounts of greenfeed were seeded by farmers looking for something to do with their land, and these crops are in the […] Read more
Here I go again bragging about Western Producer staff
I’m willing to bet Bill DeKay was feeling a little lightheaded one recent night in New Orleans. It wasn’t from the heat and humidity. It was from standing up and sitting down, over and over again, as his name was called to receive awards. Bill won the photographer of the year award July 26 at […] Read more
Ag byproducts come with price tag
WINNIPEG — Engineers shouldn’t assume crop residue is a worthless byproduct of farming, says the director of agri-food innovation and adaptation for Manitoba Agriculture. Daryl Domitruk recently told the Canadian Society for Bio-Engineering’s annual meeting that Canadian engineers and scientists are developing innovative processes to convert agricultural byproducts into biofuel or other forms of energy. […] Read more
Benefits abound with open market: U.S. wheat leader
Canadian and American wheat producers stand to benefit from the elimination of single desk grain marketing in Western Canada, says the head of an influential U.S. wheat growers organization. Alan Tracy, president of the U.S. Wheat Associates, said the elimination of single desk marketing will result in higher prices for Canadian farmers, clearer market signals […] Read more
A delicate balance at Grasslands National Park
Grass. That’s what pioneering ranchers came to southern Saskatchewan to get. That’s what Parks Canada wanted to preserve when it created a national park in the area in the 1980s. Natural prairieland of mixed grass was disappearing before the plow and conversions to tame pastures, but farming the park created friction with ranchers. Ironically, the […] Read more
