Cervus Equipment Corp. continues to expand its network of John Deere dealerships in Western Canada. The company announced yesterday that it has signed a deal to acquire Deer-Country Equipment Ltd, which owns Deere dealerships in High River and Vulcan, Alberta. “As with the recently completed Evergreen acquisition, signing of this Definitive Agreement represents a strategic… Read More
Year: 2014
Bids for peas in Western Canada will likely move higher in the coming months, thanks to lower supplies and strong exports, says an analyst with Mercantile Consulting Venture. Posted prices for yellow peas have recently been in the $6.50 to $7 per bushel range, but as part of this Pulse School episode filmed last week,… Read More
White mould love tight soybean rotations. What’s the best plan of attack for 2015? A good chunk of wheat acres didn’t get planted in the fall of 2014, during what some have dubbed a “harvest from hell.” Many of those acres are likely to go into soybeans, and for good reason. But, agronomically, it’s not… Read More
The first public consultation meeting regarding impending neonicotinoid seed treatment regulations got underway yesterday in London, Ontario. Real Agriculture’s Ontario field editor Bernard Tobin was there to cover the event. The meeting format may have surprised some, as opportunities for individuals to speak were kept to a minimum. Instead, government officials from both the agriculture… Read More
On Friday, Montana state officials announced that a few thousand head of cattle had been quarantined, as a cow near the border of Yellowstone National Park has tested positive for brucellosis. Brucellosis was first introduced into North America by infected livestock brought in by European settlers. It’s a zoonotic bacterial infection with forms that affect… Read More
Bigger is better. Go big or go home. The push for excess in all things, it seems, knows no bounds. But how big is too big? Or is that the wrong question to ask? From combines, seeding units and land bases, to suburban houses, fast food meals and the cars we drive, there’s been a… Read More
Canola supplies could be tight by the end of the 2014-15 crop year, depending on who you believe. On one hand, Statistics Canada last week pegged 2014 canola production at 15.6 million tonnes. On the other hand, most of the trade is estimating production at between 14 and 15 million tonnes, with carry-out stocks next summer… Read More
The federal government introduced a bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday that contains measures aimed at improving producer payment security when a grain buyer fails to pay for delivered grain. Bill C-48 — the Modernization of Canada’s Grain Industry Act — would also update the mandate of the Canadian Grain Commission and adjust the… Read More
One of the stipulations for funding the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), was that it one day become self-sustaining, and yesterday, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association announced a step in that direction in its partnering with ViewTrak Technologies. “Partnering with industry to expand BIXS’ reach and potential has always been our vision,” said Rob McNabb, General Manager… Read More
I remember reading an interesting quote that, paraphrased, said society was losing touch with where food came from and that the increase in urbanization was a death knell for rural life. The quote was from the 1920s. Shocking? A little, but it’s also an excellent bit of perspective for where we sit now, nearly 100… Read More
With the deadline for submissions just weeks away, farm groups are making their recommendations to the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel on how the Canadian rail system can be improved. Although the statutory review of the Canada Transportation Act looks at the legislative and policy environment surrounding the Canadian transportation system as a whole, grain transportation is getting priority consideration… Read More
Now that there’s a little more time on our hands, we can look back at the growing season and see where issues and inefficiencies arose. One of the major concerns this year in Western Canada was herbicide injury, especially in canola crops, where some growers thought their Liberty Link canola was seeing injury from its… Read More
A brand new Western Canadian event is rolling out in early March — Real Agriculture’s TechTour LIVE! In partnership with Dow AgroSciences Canada, this one-day, workshop-focused event is all about boosting your on-farm-efficiency advantage. Featuring top-notch speakers Donald Cooper, of Cooper Canada (Sporting Goods fame), and Bob Parker, a NASCAR pit crew efficiency guru, attendees… Read More
Over the weekend I was in Great Falls, Montana and I was able to check out the Northern Pulse Growers Association Montana Pulse Day and Trade Show. The potential for pulses in Montana and North Dakota is strong based on the geographical similarities to Western Canada alone. Obviously with the increase in growth of pulse… Read More
Late last month, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture elected members of its new board — including Don McCabe, who farms in Lambton county, as the new president. Shortly after the annual meeting, Real Agriculture’s editor, Lyndsey Smith, caught up with McCabe to talk about opportunities and challenges facing the Ontario farmers as we move into… Read More