Maintaining good relationships should be a priority in any succession plan, but sometimes it’s hard to get past the financial and legal jargon associated with the process. For both reasons, a farm business should consider appointing a third party to mediate discussions. And, in the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to learn about some of your… Read More
Year: 2014
Chipotle Mexican Grill has launched a trailer for its four-part television series coming out in February. Branded as a satirical comedy, the series is an interesting (and extremely controversial) attempt at Hollywood-style advertising, boasting a scripted plot and professional directing. The show is a negative campaign aimed at conventional farming practices and revolves around the… Read More
After blasting past the one million acre mark in 2013, many farmers in Manitoba wonder how high soybean acres can go in the province. And it’s no wonder — this long-season crop has steadily been picking up acres as average yields tick close to the 40 bushel an acre mark with strong prices. If you… Read More
In 2012, the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program supported the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association in the development of apps designed for prairie farmers. Those apps are very near completion, and in our first discussion with Tom Wolf, spray application specialist, we spoke of one that will help producers determine the spray quality of various nozzles, an obviously important… Read More
There are some factors that influence soybean yield far more than others, for example a healthy crop rotation is going to do far more to help the crop reach full potential than any amount of tillage. In this Soybean School episode, Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, recaps the top four… Read More
By Jim Hale, grain farmer, Lancer, Saskatchewan. Find him on Twitter as @FarmerJim79 and at his blog, What I know (And What I Don’t): http://cjkfarm.wordpress.com/. This post originally appeared there. After tweeting about how the grain terminal that I have my flax contracted with was having rail car logistical issue (that happen to work in… Read More
Artificial insemination (AI) is accepted by most producers in the purebred business, and increasingly by commercial producers as well. AI can offer the opportunity to use high quality, proven genetics at a price which is often more affordable than buying and keeping the natural sire. But the traditional method of heat detection has given producers… Read More
A new livestock price insurance program will be available this spring to help cattle and hog producers in Western provinces manage price risks faced by the industry, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was joined by Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia’s agriculture representatives to unveil the new price insurance program today…. Read More
The Canadian dollar has been very comfortable at par for quite some time. So much so, that it well and truly was the new normal. Recently, however, a few factors have converged to pressure the loonie’s value. The question is, is this a blip or a trend, and who wins and who loses in the… Read More
Weyburn Inland Terminal’s (WIT) board of directors has unanimously accepted an offer from Parrish & Heimbeker to purchase the company. The purchase agreement is subject to court approvals and the approval of two-thirds of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or by proxy at the special meeting of shareholders. The sale is also subject… Read More
Nineteen years out of the last 23, you’d have saved money by pre-buying your fertilizer in the fall. Of course, fall application of fertilizer is subject to high rates of losses, potentially negating any savings and having a negative impact on the environment, and storing fertilizer isn’t always possible. So, it’s not surprising then that… Read More
We’ll start this week’s column on a somber note, because this is serious — yesterday it was announced that the first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has been confirmed on a hog farm in Middlesex county in the southwest corner of Ontario. The details are still preliminary, but this deadly virus appears to have… Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) confirmed today that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was found on a farm in the southwest of the province. 1st confirmed case of PED in Ontario announced. OP working with OMAF on next steps. — Ontario Pork (@OntarioPork) January 23, 2014 First detected in the United States… Read More
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand at Brandon’s Ag Days yesterday to announce more than $3.7 million in funding awarded to projects spearheaded by the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA). The funding is targeted at varietal development and to help oat producers sell more of their crop in the global marketplace. POGA will… Read More
(If you’ve never been to a Manitoba social, a) you’re totally missing out! b) you won’t get the title of this post, and, c) you should ask a Manitoban about the very specific food that is consumed at one. Moving on…) Mr. Shaun Haney, very productive interviewer, and Ms. Lyndsey Smith, editor and Manitoban, managed… Read More