European Union politicians in Ottawa last week warned that American proposals to increase farm subsidies in a new farm bill will be a stumbling block at world trade talks, expected to begin in November. “The major problem, and it’s going to be a problem within the discussions on the World Trade Organization, is going to […] Read more
News — page 4635
Europe says world trade talks may founder on U.S. subsidies
Ag Notes
Student biotech contest Saskatoon high school students will compete for more than $5,000 in cash prizes during the Aventis Biotech Challenge this winter. The regional competition allows selected student projects to be completed with the assistance of mentors from the biotechnology industry and their laboratories. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 30. In the open […] Read more
Dry summer unexpected in S.E. Sask.
TRIBUNE, Sask. – A year ago, few in southeastern Saskatchewan were concerned about lack of moisture. A Nov. 1, 2000 storm dumped enough snow to block roads, knock out electricity, close schools and offer hope for the next growing season. This spring the area was one of the few bright spots as much of the […] Read more
Winter of chance
MILK RIVER, Alta. – Roy Audet slides a photo album across the kitchen table. Photos of a full hay yard taken in past years sit in stark contrast to the current view from his dining room window. The cattle are already home and on feed, and the hay lot is only half full. It is […] Read more
Special crops get attention of railroad
Canadian National Railway has two new programs it hopes will appease the special crops industry. The guaranteed car order program gives processors an assurance that the boxcars they order will arrive when requested or else they will be compensated by the railway. Customers can place boxcar orders up to eight weeks in advance. The requests […] Read more
Corn grazing becomes feasible in Sask.
LANIGAN, Sask. – If a cow comes by your house on Halloween, don’t bother reaching for the chocolate bars or caramel apples. Just give it a cob of corn. “They find this stuff just like candy,” said Bart Lardner, research co-ordinator at the Western Beef Development Centre’s Termuende research farm. Standing in a windswept corn […] Read more
CN Rail rips out line on double track near Jasper
Railway track that was laid 20 years ago to help move grain to west coast ports more efficiently is being torn up by Canadian National Railway. The company is removing 64 kilometres of double-tracked line from its main line in and around Jasper National Park, leaving only a single line. CN says improvements to railway […] Read more
Use caution when feeding kochia to cattle
Kochia is a common, non-native weed that can be baled for feed during times of feed shortages, but producers must be aware that it is a good news-bad news option. “If kochia is baled at later stages of maturity, it may comprise up to 40 percent of the diet for cattle. If baled at an […] Read more
Northern Alberta farmers look on positive side
IRON RIVER, Alta. – For Gordon Graves the farmer, the past two years of dry weather have meant poor pastures, dry dugouts and crops that struggle to make it worth combining. But the dry weather creates different problems for Gordon Graves the fire chief. The volunteer firefighter from Iron River has spent three of the […] Read more
Test field pea straw before using as feed
Cattle producers who are tempted to use pea straw as an alternative feed source need to have it tested, says an Alberta Agriculture pulse specialist. A feed shortage and an increase in field pea acres in Western Canada have made field pea straw a more common cattle feed, said Mark Olson of Lacombe. “It’s just […] Read more
