A federal court judge has ruled that prairie farmers who launched a challenge against certain guidelines in their Net Income Stabilization Accounts do not have a case. Justice Konrad von Finckenstein, in his written decision, said changes made to the guidelines in 1994 were not improperly made, as claimed by Sander Holdings, Donald Patenaude and […] Read more
News
Judge dismisses NISA case
Automated feeding improves efficiency
Two robotic feeding systems installed in a Saskatchewan hog barn could be a way to improve production efficiency. Big Sky Farms is trying out the technology, developed by Feedlogic Systems Inc. of Abbotsford, B.C., in one of its finishing barns. The company has already seen the labour savings the technology provides, said John Harding, Big […] Read more
Sask. teen goes far with dugout speech
Writing about beaver dams and drought led Ashly Larson to a youth forum on conservation in Utah last month. Larson’s essay on how her family’s cow-calf operation at Erickson, Man., dealt with dugout management through floods and a dry summer was good enough to win her a spot at the Society for Range Management’s High […] Read more
Taking control of the future with a business plan – Special Report (about)
Today’s complex farming scene translates into a need for more sophisticated management skills and business plans to ensure farms remain viable. Strategic business planning can help answer questions such as what are the farm’s goals, where is the farm now and how will it get to where it wants to be in the future? In […] Read more
Ag Notes
Philom Bios president Calvin Sonntag has been named the new president of Philom Bios Inc. Former president John Cross continues to work with the company as chief executive officer and chair of the board of directors. Sonntag earned a masters of science degree in plant breeding from the University of Saskatchewan and a masters of […] Read more
Finding fertility – One woman’s journey of self-discovery leads to unexpected opportunity
Five unplanned pregnancies in seven years would be enough to drive most women into a convent. But when it happened to Colleen Biggs, she embarked on a search foranswers that culminated in an ovulation prediction kit sold in 2,000 Canadian pharmacies. Colleen Biggs’ fertility adventures began in the spring of 1990 when she became pregnant […] Read more
Taking control of the future with a business plan – Special Report (main story)
Lethbridge – Seven-month-old Scott Hofer sits gumming plastic rings while his parents, Julia and Michael, key numbers into a calculator and map a course for their family farm near Raymond, Alta. The Hofers, along with Michael’s brother Paul Hofer Jr., his wife Lula and their teenaged and adult children, operate a 4,200-acre grain farm in […] Read more
CP reaches branch line deal with Sask. farmers
Canadian Pacific Railway has agreed to haul producer cars off a branch line in northeastern Saskatchewan, following a mediation hearing involving the railway, local farmers and the Canadian Transportation Agency. But CP also says there’s a good chance it will sell or shut down the White Fox subdivision before too long. “Given the history of […] Read more
Coming Events
Agri-Trend 2004 farm forum. (Agri-Trend Agrology Ltd., 403-343-8288) Feb. 17: Hi-Way Service, Lethbridge Feb. 18: Red Deer Lodge, Red Deer Feb. 19: Fort Inn, Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. Feb. 20: Peace Valley Inn, Peace River, Alta. Alberta Fish Farmers Association course, Raising Fish in Your Pond or Dugout. (Eric Hutchings, 403-381-5574) Feb. 16: Airdrie March 2: […] Read more
Cruching the numbers – Special Report (story 2)
Sharpen your pencils, dust off the calculators and try these calculations to get started on the road of business planning. The following calculations of a farm’s liquidity, solvency, profitability and financial efficiency can be measured against industry benchmarks to determine if there is cause for concern. Douglas Stroh of Meyers Norris Penny said ratios are […] Read more
