Noxious weed | The flowers and buds should be bagged before disposal
RED DEER — An unwelcome weed has rooted itself in irrigation canals east of Calgary. The flowering rush was found growing in some canals, banks and headworks in the Western Irrigation District east of Calgary and around the town of Chestermere last year. It could now take years to bring it under control, said weed […] Read moreTag Archives Ag Finance
Inspector says flowering rush threatens irrigation system
Foreign species invade waters
RED DEER — Foreign plants, microbes and animals are moving into the land and waters of North America. When they are found in the water, everyone is hurt, says the director of the invasive species action network in Montana. “Anybody who uses water stands to suffer economically,” said Bob Wiltshire at a recent Alberta invasive […] Read more
Work begins on biodiesel plant
Construction has started on what will become Canada’s largest biodiesel facility. Archer Daniels Midland is building a 265 million litre plant in Lloyd-minster, Alta., adjacent to the company’s existing canola crushing facility. The plant will be used to help fill Canada’s two percent biodiesel mandate that began July 1, 2011. The Northern Biodiesel Limited Partnership, […] Read more
Optimism abounds in agriculture
Economic analysts continue to see little but blue skies and profits for farmers this year, even if risks are growing slowly beneath the surface. In an agricultural industry outlook session April 26, two senior lenders from the Bank of Montreal and Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett sketched a picture of farmers continuing to […] Read more
Tales told in charts as farmers run with the Red Queen
Here are some charts that tell pretty interesting ag commodity stories. The first was produced by our markets editor, D’arce McMillan, while we were sorting though all the StatsCan Seeding Intentions report stuff. Check out the numbers on the table and the lines on the chart that show the same thing: farmers on the prairies […] Read more
Are we going to miss whining about StatsCan?
Last week we went through the predictable ritual of whining about the Statistics Canada’s seeding intentions report. Almost every analyst says every year that StatsCan’s numbers are inaccurate, too old, or both, “but they’re all we have.” They might not be something we have in the future, or not even be as good as they […] Read more
Farm program framework stresses market access, innovation
GATINEAU, Que. — Canada’s agriculture ministers have launched what federal minister Gerry Ritz calls the final stage of negotiations for the next five-year farm program framework. Changes are clearly in the works. The next Growing Forward framework will stress market access, innovation and “refocused” farm safety net programs that reduce the focus on business risk […] Read more
PMRA faces sharp budget cuts
A 12 percent cut | Government says pesticide registrations will be streamlined for faster decisions
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency faces sharp budget and staff reductions as part of Ottawa’s drive to cut $5.2 billion out of federal spending. The PMRA, housed within Health Canada, will lose $6 million annually and 54 position over the next two years. The 12 percent cut is larger than most government agencies. The cuts […] Read moreSoybean seed shortage threatens acreage increase
Record crop forecast | Expansion expected in non-traditional soybean regions of southwestern Manitoba
Manitoba farmers may shatter the provincial record for soybean acres this year, but a shift to Roundup Ready 2 beans and a lack of high quality seed threatens acreage gains. The province set another record for soybeans last year, with Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. insuring 587,000 acres, compared to 528,000 in 2010. Manitoba Pulse Growers […] Read moreCuts continuefor CWB
Staffing levels at the CWB are likely to fall to fewer than 100 employees by the time the new organization has been fully downsized. CWB officials said last week that staff numbers at the grain marketing agency have already been reduced to 318 people through a combination of layoffs and voluntary departures. Twelve months ago, […] Read more
