On Day 2 of our special 2019 coverage, we’re looking at some of host Shaun Haney’s favourites from March, April, and May. Hear: The importance of diversity in enticing people to agriculture, with Jeneen Abrams, plant breeder at Perdue University; Has canola trade with China changed much since last spring? A look back on a… Read More
Let’s start with the good: this year we celebrated 10 years of RealAgriculture, beef exports to Japan were stellar, and the new NAFTA (USMCA) trade deal moved ever closer to ratification. From there, though, we’ll be honest — 2019 was a tough year for planting and seeding, growing, harvest, cattle prices, lamb prices, and international… Read More
“We haven’t been good at telling consumers and our customers in other parts of the world how we are sustainable.” That’s the message from the honourable Ted Menzies at this year’s Prairie Cereals Summit. Menzies was there to give an update to attendees on what the framework looks like surrounding the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable… Read More
Why do family farm businesses fail? Quite often it’s not economics but rather family governance issues and relationship problems, says farmer and business consultant Dick Wittman. Many farms fail because operators don’t run the farm in a professional manner, says Wittman who learned plenty of valuable lessons managing a family-operated 20,000 acre crop, cattle, and… Read More
Geringhoff’s new Horizon Star III Razor header offers European farmers better contour following and another method to combat European corn borer. “Our innovation is that we split the corn [header] in two pieces, so we have two independent wings that can go up and down, and therefore we have more controlled contour following,” says Hendrik… Read More
Like with human health, maintaining or creating healthy soil is more about doing lots of things right vs. adding one product. And, just as with human health, there’s no magic pill to solve a problem — anyone who tells you there is, is probably selling something. Dr. Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of… Read More
Today’s show is a special one, looking back at some of host Shaun Haney’s favourite interviews of 2019. Hear from: Tyne Morgan, host of the U.S. Farm Report, on farm profitability, and debt levels Rick Mercer on traveling across Canada, the best and funniest politicians, and even how he convinced Americans that Canadians were celebrating… Read More
The Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) will not have overage-related payouts or penalties due to falling below their respective maximum grain revenue entitlements for the 2018-19 crop year. The amount of western grain moved under the MRE program during 2018-19 was 46,060,737 tonnes, 13.4% more than the volume… Read More
More than 100 pigs have been reported stolen from a farm in Oxford township area of southwestern Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say officers with the Oxford County detachment were sent out to a farm in the area on Boxing Day after receiving a report of stolen pigs. Police say sometime between November 9,… Read More
Have you ever wondered how countries that buy Canadian wheat learn about each crop-year’s characteristics? The story of each crop begins with the harvest sample program, involves a careful analysis of the crop, and continues with crop missions to countries such as Singapore, Ecuador, China, and Mexico. Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada, and Gary Stanford,… Read More
China-based company XAG is growing a name for itself, recently displaying a series of fully autonomous drones and farm monitoring sensors at Agritechnica, in Hanover, Germany. Founded in 2007, XAG now has laboratories and research stations in 38 countries, and is focused on developing technology to address plant protection, crop monitoring, and farm management. Its… Read More
Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc. says he thinks 2020 is going to be a better year in general for weather across the Prairies. When he looks back at the extreme weather that occurred in the west in 2019, he agree that that was one nasty weather pattern many will not forget. There are two… Read More
It’s not the forecast anyone in Ontario wants to hear. While some are still finishing up 2019 harvest — a season hampered by a cool, wet spring, a drought, then a nasty fall — weather guru Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc, says farmers may have to be just as patient in 2020. On the… Read More
Before being released in Canada, hemp cultivars go through an approval process very different from other crops. Unlike wheat or canola, for example, lines are not required to undergo a certain amount of trialing in Canada before they can be grown here. That’s not to say there aren’t processes in place to vet cultivars before… Read More
Merry Christmas! In true RealAg Radio fashion, we’ve got a radio show packed with guests, insight, banter, and some helpful hints. Host Shaun Haney is joined by Lyndsey Smith for this special edition of the radio show. You’ll also hear from special guests Jessika Guse, Peter Johnson, FCC’S JP Gervais, and Bern Tobin. Over the… Read More