Livestock producers in Western Canada who have downsized their herds due to drought and feed shortages will be allowed to defer income from the sale of breeding stock when paying income tax. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today released a list of designated regions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba where tax deferrals have been authorized… Read More
Month: July 2015
It’s been described as the first major innovation in harvester design since the first half of the 20th century when binders and threshing machines were joined to form “combines.” Now the company behind the unique design is planning to begin production of these units in early 2016. The “Tribine” harvester adds a grain cart component to the… Read More
Weed scientists in Western Canada and the U.S. Northern Plains are keeping an eye out for signs of glyphosate resistance in one of the most widespread weeds in the region. Wild oats, which is commonly resistant to other herbicide modes-of-action, could be the next weed to adapt to glyphosate, according to a risk assessment model developed by Hugh Beckie of… Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast announced this week that the Government of Canada has opened the Ukrainian market for beef from cattle under 30 months (UTM) and ready-to-eat meat. This new market access marks follows the lifting of Ukraine’s ban on Canadian beef products in 2014. Canadian beef and ready-to-eat… Read More
The rallying cry of “harvest the wheat ASAP!” makes sense in light of heavy fusarium levels, seeing as the fungus continues to grow and cause damage even on mature wheat. But for those looking at a glyphosate application ahead of harvest, going in too early could mean glyphosate being translocated to the wheat kernels and… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) has launched a new campaign encouraging all involved in the canola value chain to share “the personal and community impact of canola, benefits of increased market access and positive impact that an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)” would have. The website — canolacountry.ca — and social media push using the hashtag… Read More
The federal agriculture minister joined the chairs of Genome Canada and the Western Grains Research Foundation in Saskatoon on Tuesday to announce a total of $93 million in funding for 11 agriculture and aquaculture genomics research projects. $30.8 million is coming from the federal government through Genome Canada, with $5 million from WGRF. The balance… Read More
Update on July 30th: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency removed the final Avian Influenza Control Zone (located in the counties of Oxford and Waterloo) after lifting the quarantine on the second Ontario farm on Wednesday, July 29th. Permits are no longer required for the movement of birds and bird products in Ontario. A three month surveillance… Read More
New wheat varieties being grown in parts of Western Canada have made it possible to produce yields that are off the charts, quite literally. Much of the research supporting nitrogen rate recommendations for wheat on the prairies has been based on a top-end yield target of 65 bushels per acre. “That was quite adequate when we were growing Barrie… Read More
Scott Horner of HyTech Production Ltd., based at Lethbridge, Alberta, has been named president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association following the CSTA’s annual meeting held last week at Windsor, Ont. A board member since 2008, Horner also represents CSTA on the board of directors of the Seed Association of the Americas. He has also… Read More
How does that old saying go? Crop prices take the stairs up but the elevator down. It could be said that crop input prices do the exact opposite. Price trends of both variable and fixed inputs seem to march to their own drum. Variable input prices are slow to back off highs; fixed costs can… Read More
There’s been plenty of buzz about the potential uses for unmanned aerial vehicles on farms over the last few years, but many producers are still waiting to see if there’s a business case for purchasing one. They want to see if UAVs can add enough value to justify spending not only the money, but also the time it takes to… Read More
Peas, and pulses in general, are getting a lot of attention even as we gear up for the United Nations’ International Year of the Pulses. Global food trends seem to be favouring the commodity, with expectations that demand will continue to rise. For western Canadian pulse growers, this might mean developing an understanding of their varietal… Read More
The group of grain sector representatives appointed to the federal government’s Crop Logistics Working Group has submitted another batch of recommendations for improving grain transportation across Canada. Back in February the group was tasked with identifying ways to improve the crop logistics system and establishing common positions across the supply chain for consideration in the current review… Read More
If you’ve noticed more than a few fleabane “escapes” in recent years, you’re not alone. Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane has spread across more than 700 kilometers of Ontario crop land in just five years. Despite its incredible distribution, Canada fleabane wasn’t the first glyphosate resistant weed found in Ontario, says Dr. Peter Sikkema, field crop… Read More