Research stations to close | Nearly half the jobs will be eliminated
Government cuts to wheat research are disappointing and will ultimately hinder production in Western Canada, says Grain Growers of Canada president Stephen Vandervalk. “Unfortunately, it looks like the spring wheat program for the black and dark brown soils zones has been slashed by about one-third at a time when the world needs more production,” Vandervalk […] Read moreTag Archives Ag Finance
Cereal Research Centre falls to budget cuts
Ag industry booms as funding drops
On one level, the Canadian agriculture and food sector is booming with high commodity prices, expanding exports and investment. It is the positive message the federal government and industry are promoting in the wake of the 2012 “system overview” report published by Agriculture Canada. The report described an industry that accounts for 8.1 percent of […] Read more
Robots tackle tasks with ease
Automated planting | Prospero can fertilize, seed and apply herbicide
Prospero is a tiny field-roving robot that intends to replace the tractor and seeder. Grain growers still have a few years to get used to the idea, but it could soon be a reality in row crops. This autonomous micro planter (AMP), which is the brainchild of robotics specialist Dave Dorhout of Iowa, pushes the […] Read moreWidow wants warnings for low hanging electrical wires
Old power line hazards Husband and farm hand were killed when auger contacted an overhead line
EDMONTON — It’s been more than a year since Catherine Hicks-Kowalchuk’s husband and his helper were killed when their grain auger hit a low hanging power line in an abandoned farmyard. As Hicks-Kowalchuk drives around the country, she can’t help noticing how many low, old power lines are in other abandoned farm sites, creating a […] Read moreNational flax industry joins Saskatchewan commission in doubling checkoff
The Flax Council of Canada has joined the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission in doubling its levy. North American crushers and Canadian processors and exporters have agreed to pay a voluntary levy of $2 per tonne for two years starting April 1, up from $1 per tonne. “I think that was a very big show of […] Read more
Weather troubles stalk European crop
It is early yet, considering most Canadian farmers have yet to turn a wheel, but it might be a year when North American grain production booms while Europe and Ukraine struggle. That could mean downward pressure on crop prices generally, but Canada might have little competition in the canola export market and will have opportunities […] Read more
China’s hunger for canola to continue
Prairie farmers should be safe from China’s slower economic growth, says the chief economist of Export Development Canada. Peter Hall said China’s troubles that are rattling global investors probably won’t become a crisis, and agricultural imports might see no impact at all. “It’s usually the most recession-resilient export category that you can find, and while […] Read more
Grain commission sees change in centennial year
The Canadian Grain Commission celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this month with praise for its past, while agriculture minister Gerry Ritz predicted a bright future. The grain industry has been revolutionized since the grain commission was created in 1912, Ritz told an Ottawa celebration April 4. “It is no accident that Canadian grains are recognized […] Read more
Farmland sold for mining
It is a sad fact that when a mine arrives, farmers have to go. Long before new potash mine development began in Saskatchewan two years ago, proponents were knocking on landowners’ doors. The K+S Potash mine near Bethune was granted an exemption under provincial farmland ownership laws to buy 23,040 acres. BHP Billiton near LeRoy […] Read more
New mine will spur community development
RMs will see more revenue | Increased employment, other benefits will come with mine
Saskatchewan rural municipalities at the centre of potash development may be stretched right now, but they all say it will be worth it in the end. The hassles of road construction and paperwork will be rewarded with increased tax revenue, more people and a revitalized rural economy. “It’s an exciting time for this area,” said […] Read more
