NOBLEFORD, Alta. — Justin Den Toom stands in a vast building under construction, as the sun shines brightly through the plastic-lined roof. The whine of a saw splits the air on this day, but soon the building will be full of lush plants floating placidly in fish-fertilized water. Den Toom operates Current Prairie Fisherman Corp., […] Read more
Production
Driverless, robotic tractors
Driverless tractors are here. Robotics and guidance have met out back of the barn, and across the globe tractors without operators are being birthed. No longer part of imagination, they are a reality that many producers could get behind, or even in front of, with confidence. The North American Great Plains, Western Australia and the […] Read more
Charcuterie gets a kick start
Sometimes you need to kick start pigs to make them fly, which is what entrepreneur Tina Windsor had in mind when applying for Kickstarter funding to help grow her charcuterie. The word charcuterie dates back to the first century and refers to a butcher shop devoted primarily to sausages, hams, bacons, pates and other prepared […] Read more
EU’s trade future hinges on genome editing
KINGSTON, Ont. — The crop biotech industry will soon learn if Europe is headed into a regulatory abyss. European politicians remain hostile to genetically modified crops, and over the last few months they have considered banning glyphosate, the most popular herbicide in the world. It appears the European Union is becoming more opposed to any […] Read more
Lentil prices debated at Global Pulse Convention
The Western Producer’s Sean Pratt is reporting from the 2016 Global Pulse Convention in Cesme, Turkey. CESME, Turkey — Market outlooks for green lentils, red lentils and beans were the highlights of day two of the 2016 Global Pulse Convention Gerald Donkersgoed, vice-president of Ilta Grain, said Canada is pretty much sold out of green […] Read more
EU food safety watchdog hits back at scientists in glyphosate row
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of senior scientists, strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of glyphosate. The European Food Safety Authority, which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. It was at […] Read more
India debates GM oil mustard launch
NEW DELHI, India — India’s chief scientific adviser has urged prime minister Narendra Modi to decide the fate of the country’s first genetically modified food crop, mustard, and a recent meeting suggests authorities may support commercialization. While the path to a commercial launch is fraught with political opposition, allowing GM crops is critical to Modi’s […] Read more
U.S. asks for arbitration on COOL damages
The United States has decided to ask the world trade organization for arbitration over the amount of damages Canada claims has been caused by mandatory country or origin labelling. Canada asked the WTO to impose retaliatory tariffs of more than $3 billion annually on key U.S. exports due to damages caused by COOL. “Canada is […] Read more
New environment minister will look at drainage rules
Saskatchewan’s new environment minister says he needs time to talk to officials before commenting on new drainage regulations. The new regulations, which would curb unauthorized ditching and drainage of agricultural land, have been in the works for months. They were expected this summer but officials said a firm date has not yet been established. Herb […] Read more
VIDEO: Shallow banding urea discouraged
Farmers who band urea must make sure they do it deep, says an agronomist and fertilizer specialist who has been studying the consequences of shallow banding urea. Otherwise, they are better off broadcasting it. Farms are becoming larger and fewer operators need to cover more acres, and “all of the sudden intentionally or unintentionally, we’re […] Read more
