All livestock producers have been urged to cut unnecessary antibiotic use, to try to prevent resistant bacteria from developing in their herds and flocks. But on the farm, the question is where, and how? Consider dairy calves, for example. More than half of the deaths of dairy calves are from diarrhea. Producers often treat that… Read More
Month: December 2017
Statistics Canada published higher-than-expected estimates for several major Canadian crops in its crop production report on Wednesday. The report includes the final production estimates for 2017 (although they can still be revised for two years.) For canola, StatsCan estimates production of 21.3 million tonnes, up from 19.7 million in the September StatsCan report and 19.6… Read More
The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is taking a different approach than most other farm organizations with its management. Rather than hiring internal staff, the voluntary farmer-run advocacy group has contracted Osborne Interim Management to look after day-to-day operations, policy development, stakeholder engagement and communications. The Osborne team includes Dave Quist as Executive Director, Norm… Read More
Is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s progressive agenda hurting free-trade talks? Host Shaun Haney thinks so — he starts the show talking trade. Then: Top Ag News Two crop farmers, a hog farmer and a beef farmer join the show for a panel to talk about the 2017 growing season, trade, and local media outlets struggling… Read More
China agreed to expand access for Canadian beef and pork during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to Beijing this week. After agreeing in-principle to allow imports of Canadian frozen bone-in beef last year, China committed to establishing the documentation requirements and fully implementing the 2016 bone-in beef agreement. A pilot project has also been established… Read More
In the first half of 2017, I repeatedly supported the Trudeau government on their trade strategy. They seemed to be focused on diversifying Canadian trade away from the U.S., altering the negotiation strategy based on the opponent, and establishing strong starts in Asia where the future global GDP growth will transpire. I have changed my… Read More
Vervaet’s hydro-trike slurry spreader was developed in collaboration with contractors nearly twenty years ago. As its name suggests, it’s a three- or five-wheeled, self-propelled machine, which offers up to 20,000 litres in capacity. And, even the five-wheeled option is built with soil health in mind. “So each wheel has its own track to minimize soil… Read More
The Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) will mark its 25th anniversary on January 3rd, when the two-day conference unofficially kicks off Ontario’s winter farm meeting season. In Part Two of our video series looking back at a quarter century of SWAC, we hear from a host of conference organizers and participants who share their favourite memories of… Read More
Today, on the show: Top Ag News What should we do if we see suspicious drone activity? (No, don’t shoot at it!) Matthew Johnson, president and founder of M3 Aerial Productions, joins the show to explain. Double crop soybeans, incredible corn yields, improving soil organic matter and ‘bushels of differences’ with RealAgriculture’s agronomist Peter Johnson. Join… Read More
Farm groups were quick to show their support as Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan unveiled his government’s “Made-in-Saskatchewan Climate Change Strategy” on Monday. The province says the plan is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, without implementing a carbon tax. (Download the strategy text by clicking here.) “This plan is broader… Read More
On Friday, Statistics Canada released its third-quarter economic report, which included an update on gross domestic product and job growth. With the Canadian government boasting a strong economy and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations in an arguably precarious situation, many experts are watching the domestic economic climate very closely. Some of the highlights… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) is welcoming the Ontario government’s proposal to increase its ethanol mandate in gasoline from 5 to 10 percent in 2020. The province’s environment ministry published draft amendments last week to update the renewable fuel regulations under the province’s Environmental Protection Act. “We are pleased to see the Ontario government committed… Read More
Farmers from Saskatchewan and Quebec were named Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2017 during the national OYF program in Penticton, BC this past weekend. Derek and Tannis Axten and Véronique Bouchard and Francois Handfield received the national recognition on Friday night. The Axtens operate a no-till grain farm with a unique emphasis on soil health… Read More
Without a little office time, it’s almost impossible to know which enterprises are profitable, and which aren’t. As a result of collaboration with the federal government, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC) has developed templates to help producers in the process of calculating cost of production. RealAgriculture’s Debra Murphy sat… Read More
The Chinese government could move forward on allowing imports of three canola traits that have been awaiting Chinese approval for five years during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit this week, according to a report from Global News. However, some canola seed industry stakeholders are skeptical that full approvals will be announced in the next few… Read More