Alan Guebert, an Illinoisbased agricultural journalist, speculates on repercussions in the farm sector resulting from November U.S. elections. If ascendant Republicans act on what they say was the clear message sent by voters on Nov. 2, the 112th Congress ain’t gonna’ be a tea party. Oh, something will boil, all right. It may be the […] Read more
News
USDA may be in hot water
Biofuel industry celebrates ethanol, wants to boost biodiesel
GATINEAU, Que. – Canadian ethanol producers touted the industry as an unmitigated Canadian success story last year. They highlighted billions of dollars of investment, more than 10,000 jobs created and significant pollution reduction. On Dec. 15, the federal government will implement a regulation requiring gasoline sold in Canada to have an average five percent ethanol […] Read more
Nominations for award
Nominations for Farm Credit Canada’s Rosemary Davis Award are now open. The award, named after the first woman to chair Farm Credit Canada’s board of directors, honours women who have demonstrated leadership in agriculture. Past recipients have come from a variety of fields including producers, veterinarians and agronomists. “This award allows FCC to honour remarkable […] Read more
Uncharted waters hold no fear for Nova Scotia farmers
David Ernst is an accidental farmer, someone whose hobby got out of control. “When I started planting cranberries, I thought this would be a part-time job and I’d go down once a year to reap them,” says the 42-year-old Nova Scotian. “Well, I soon learned they don’t grow by themselves and they certainly don’t process […] Read more
Crop prices overtaking farm input expenses
It is a myth that rising input costs have negated the gains realized through strengthening grain prices, according to farm income statistics. The ratio of operating expenses as a percent of total cash receipts has been on the decline for western Canadian farmers since 2006. Stephen Boyd, an analyst with Statistics Canada, said that is […] Read more
Let’s make a commitment to fairness, transparency
I will never forget a story told to me by one of my students, a middle aged woman who had been married to a farmer for many years. They lived in rural Alberta. She needed to buy a new car so she went to the nearest town and discussed her needs with the salesman at […] Read more
Biofuel funding may dry up soon
GATINEAU, Que. – Federal politicians pledged their continued support for the biofuel industry at last week’s annual meeting of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. However, they warned there may not be much money in the future to back up that support. Supporting the renewable fuel sector is good economic and rural development policy, Conservative, Liberal […] Read more
New CCIA call centre hours
Low call volumes have caused the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency to change the hours of operation at its call centre. “Due to the call volumes during the extended hours, we have adjusted our hours to respond to present demand,” said general manager Brian Caney. The call centre will be open Monday to Friday from 7 […] Read more
Ag sectors differ on sustainability
When a panel of agriculture industry leaders gathered Nov. 30 to debate sustainability in the industry, viewpoints naturally reflected their sector. Soil Conservation of Canada president Don McCabe wanted more government leadership on conservation efforts. “We need leadership,” he said. “Neither Liberals nor Conservatives are leaders on conservation.” Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett […] Read more
Charolais death prompts guide changes
The Canadian Charolais Association plans to rewrite its show guidelines after an incident at the recent Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. General manager Neil Gillies said although the board had not yet seen autopsy results from a Charolais cow that died during the event, and were not assigning blame, they needed to make changes. Witnesses […] Read more
