A well-known promoter and publisher in the beef cattle industry has died. Laurel “Laurie” Watson, 66, of West Montrose, Ont., died Sept. 3. Together with her father, Harald Gunderson, they produced the World of Beef and the Limousin Leader in the 1970s and 1980s. Laurie was a prominent beef industry personality, whether on the phone […] Read more
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Cattle publisher dies at 66
AG Notes
Veterinarian receives award Dr. Frank Schenkels has received the biennial Brian MacNaughton Memorial Award from Elanco Canada. He was recognised for his outstanding contributions to bovine veterinary medicine in Canada. Raised on a dairy farm near Miramichi, N.B., Schenkels has been an owner and manager of Fundy Veterinarians Ltd. in Shubenacadie, N.S., since 1987. Schenkels […] Read more
Alta. plans to increase international trade staff
As a way of fighting back against “tough times for Alberta,” Premier Jason Kenney plans to help the province’s farmers by aggressively boosting agricultural exports in markets around the world. “Our agriculture sector is a powerhouse for our economy and there’s tremendous opportunity for the sector to be a big contributor to Alberta’s recovery from […] Read more
Percy and me
This isn’t a post about Percy Schmeiser, the real-life Bruno, Sask. farmer, and me, the Western Producer reporter. This is about Percy the Myth, now of Hollywood movie fame (played by Christopher Walken,) and me, the Western Producer reporter. I’ve never much engaged with the mythology of Percy, who became a cause celebre for anti-genetically […] Read more
Average corn crop expected in Manitoba
Corn yields could be around average this year in Manitoba, which is positive considering a major frost hit much of the province in early September. Early reports suggest yields are 120 to 160 bushels per acre in the province’s Red River Valley, said Morgan Cott, agronomy extension specialist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance. Frost arrived […] Read more
Online sessions focus on regenerative ag
Ranchers and other producers can participate in a free regenerative agriculture conference next month. The Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association was planning to hold its Regen Ag conference in Brandon this November, but COVID-19 has made that impossible. The farm group, like many others, has adjusted to the pandemic and is hosting four online presentations […] Read more
Program to protect farms, workers from COVID
Applications are now open for a federally administered $35 million Emergency On-Farm Support Fund. Aimed at lessening the impact of COVID-19 on farms and employee living quarters, the fund is being managed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and cost-shared with producers at a 50-50 level. Money is coming from a $58.6 million fund announced […] Read more
U.S. ag negotiator convinced China on board
The official who negotiated the Phase 1 trade deal calls Chinese compliance with the agreement’s targets a ‘no-brainer’
There is still plenty of skepticism about China meeting its Phase 1 commitments in 2020, but not for the man who negotiated the trade deal. The pact calls for an increase in China’s annual agricultural imports to US$40 billion in 2020 and 2021, up from the previous high of $24 billion in 2017. That 2020 […] Read more
Manitoba cattle producers get say on crown land leases
For the next six weeks, cattle ranchers in Manitoba can share their views about Crown land leases. Last fall, the provincial government amended the rules for agricultural Crown land leases, shortening the lease from 50 to 15 years, changing to an open auction to bid on available leases and increasing the rental rate. The province […] Read more
Prairies to be biggest winners of federal infrastructure money
Prairie provinces will receive the bulk of Ottawa’s $1.5 billion commitment to support irrigation projects, according to federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau. On Oct. 1, the federal government launched a $10 billion infrastructure plan over three years aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres […] Read more
