Manitoba announces flood aid program

The federal and Manitoba governments have committed $194 million to help farmers in the province who can’t grow crops or feed livestock because of pervasive wet conditions this year. The provincial government released details of the 2011 Manitoba AgriRecovery Program June 30: • $30 per acre for unseeded and flooded cropland • $50 per acre […] Read more

Western Producer Crop Report – for Jul. 7, 2011

MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Wet conditions hurt development Many crops are suffering from soggy conditions in the region. Crops are yellowing and showing signs of nutrient deficiency. Crops broadcasted onto wet fields are beginning to establish. Pasture is exceptionally wet, and standing water is hindering growth. Higher pasture land is in good condition. Hay crops look promising, […] Read more

Cover crop an option for late season seeding

With 2,400 acres of unseeded land on his farm north of Souris, Man., Andy Barclay is definitely in unfamiliar territory this summer. Like many farmers in Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan who are staring at soaked, weedy fields in July, Barclay isn’t sure what he will do with his cropland next year. Barclay said he might […] Read more


B.C. farmers sought to provide local weather information

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Agriculture Canada wants to recruit more weather watchers among British Columbia farmers. The department’s climate information service monitors the impacts of drought and flood so that better decisions can be made for crop insurance and income tax deferral programs. It uses information from farmer operated weather stations on the Prairies and […] Read more

Short-term cash values remain firm

Prairie grain growers have managed to shake off the worst of the shocking sell-off in U.S. grain prices, but it’s for a bad reason and might not last. Acreage of durum, barley and some other prairie crops has been so badly ravaged across the Canadian Prairies and in North Dakota that those crops’ prices have […] Read more


Conservation program moves into Alberta

VERMILION, Alta. — Alternative Land Use Services has arrived in Alberta. The grassroots program that compensates farmers for making environmental improvements to their land has already been established in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. Projects on 1,000 acres of land in the County of Vermilion River have now moved the program to Alberta. ALUS is […] Read more

Hog profit elusive as feed prices increase

Hog prices on the charts look great, but prairie producers’ profits are being squeezed and their confidence crushed. They are still making money, but for how long? “Paying five bucks for feed barley, which is what we’re doing now, even if you’re making money today, will you be able to a few months from now?” […] Read more

System puts hogs in charge

DES MOINES, Iowa — It would have been difficult to have chosen a better location for a trade show booth at World Pork Expo in Des Moines. Pigtek’s large display of housing and feeding equipment was immediately to the right of the main entrance of the international show, an annual event in June that attracts […] Read more


Ontario makes risk management program permanent

Ontario has become the first province to put in place, outside supply management, a permanent risk management program for farmers based on cost-of-production insurance coverage. It takes effect for the 2011 crop year. The program is not expected to pay out this year because of higher prices, but provincial grain and oilseed sector leaders couldn’t […] Read more

Producer’s effort to drought proof land sprouts business

There’s no shortage of water in southeastern Saskatchewan this year, but livestock producer Mark Johanson will be sitting pretty when the weather normalizes and drought conditions return. Johanson, who raises beef and sheep on his farm near Stockholm, Sask., has taken steps to ensure his animals will always have access to clean, drinking water. He […] Read more