Talking to hog producers in Manitoba, there is a real head scratching issue taking place. Hog producers are strongly criticizing the provincial government for not stepping up to compensate hog farmers for this terrible economic environment. The province think that it is a Federal government issue but others disagree. My friend journalism friend Harry Siemens… Read More
Year: 2009
Weed Identification is key before you spray your canola crop. Depending on whether you have a glyphosate, liberty or clearfield tolerant variety, your spraying strategy may be different depending on what weeds are in the field. In this edition of the Canola School Matt Stanford of the Canola Council talks about how forming a spraying strategy is… Read More
Today, Anne Dunford, General Manager, Gateway Livestock Exchange talked to me about the North American cattle industry. This is the first edition of the RealAgriculture.com Beef Market Update. In my continuing effort to increase the content I require your feedback to keep improving the site. When it comes to explaining what is happening in the… Read More
Food education is something that is very lacking in today’s’ society. Sorting out the definitions of organic, natural, transgenic, or biotech can be a bit hefty for those of us in the industry…never mind the consumer. Much of what we see at the grocery store today is more about marketing than anything to do with… Read More
Plant stand is very important and in this segment of the Canola School, Matt Stanford of the Canola Council of Canada talks post seeding evaluation work that needs to be done. Matt also talks about some of the adversity canola growers have been experiencing this year with seeding and plant stands across Western Canada. If… Read More
I have been getting a number of calls from feedlot producers to discuss the new Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) that will be launched by AFSC this summer for Albertan cattle feeders. I talked to Susan Crump, Senior Project Manager, Program Development and Policy at AFSC about some of the preliminary details of the coming… Read More
This afternoon I talked to Richard Phillips, Executive Director of the Grain Growers of Canada about the possible introduction of biotech wheat to the agricultural system. The Grain Growers of Canada were members of the Biotech Wheat Coalition that is trying to push the international community to support biotech wheat. Shaun: Why is the Grain… Read More
By Garth Donald, CCA,Western Canadian Manager of Agronomy, Dynagra I can honestly say that it has been a while since I have been on my hands and knees trying to see if there is any life left in a canola plant but this last week it has occurred more than I would like it to…. Read More
Pigs are a host for the H1N1 virus, and yet while no pigs died directly because of the virus, it was called €œswine flu€ and the news story became focused on food safety. It sprung a lot of attention onto concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) as if the food supply is not safe anymore because… Read More
From roping and riding to pulling a calf at 40 below, there are many traditions that go along with the ranching lifestyle. Branding livestock is one of those traditions that is still upheld to this day in Alberta. But when did the smell of burning hair become indicative of a tradition? And when did that… Read More
I really enjoy the spring time because it is a great time to interact with farmers as they proceed on a new planting season. The spring is always full optimism for farmers no matter the size of the operation. Big or small I enjoy talking to all customers about their seeding intentions and plans for… Read More
Canadian, Australian and American wheat organizations have formed the Biotech Wheat Coalition “in support for more efficient, sustainable and profitable production of wheat around the world”. See the Joint Statment Here As RealAgriculture.com has discussed before the need for biotech wheat is rising and the usual roadblocks are presenting themselves as discussed by the Canadian… Read More
Last month the Alberta Government announced that they were changing the checkoff rules for pork, beef, potatoes and lamb in the province. This has been a very controversial topic because of the massing theories as to what will happen with that money if a refund is requested. I spoke to Kevin Grier, Senior Market Analyst… Read More
Will spring ever come? That was definitely the question I had to ask everyone today. With the cool weather I figured it was a good day to get my agronomy staff get ready for the scouting season so we went checking some fields for weeds and we found a little bit more that what we… Read More
No matter who you talk to across the Northen US and Canada, seeding is behind schedule. Late seeding can lead to a multitude of challenges for the crop throughout the rest of the year. Whether it is wheat, canola, soybeans or corn many farmers are racing against father time to get this years crop seeded…. Read More