The government-backed Advance Payments Program, commonly called the cash advance, is a tool used by farmers to even-out cash flow and help take the pressure off marketing decisions. It has expanded over the past few decades from a small program offered by the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) for wheat, barley, and durum, to a program… Read More
Author: Dale Leftwich
Dale Leftwich farmed for over twenty years and throughout that time worked as an agronomist, seed manager and businessman. He has been on the Boards of SaskCanola, Canadian Canola Growers and Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan. He also helped develop the documentary License to Farm.
Mapping the wheat genome has been a major goal of scientists for decades. Getting it sequenced was a major accomplishment, but it wasn’t the end of the journey – it was, in reality, only opening the door so the journey could begin. Curtis Pozniak, professor at the University of Saskatchewan and plant breeder with the… Read More
As we move in to a new year and new farm season, there are all kinds of things that need to be assessed, reassessed, and evaluated. If setting business goals for the year ahead is on your to-do list, you may want to consider joining a formal peer group. If the idea of sharing farm… Read More
All workplaces require give and take. Communication skills are often needed and seldom taught. A simple thing like the golden rule — treat others as you would have them treat you — can work wonders, but what about the platinum rule? That is, would treating others the way they want to be treated have even… Read More
We all like to believe we are independent thinkers, but the beliefs of most people often align with one team or another. Tamar Haspel does not have a team. She is a columnist for the Washington Post and, along with her husband, has an oyster farm on Cape Cod. If you follow her on Twitter… Read More
The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) used to be a big player in the field of offering government-backed cash advances. The changes to the CWB’s structure and its transition to a private company created an administrative vacuum which 30 or so other groups that currently offer the cash advance have been working to fill. Recently, another… Read More
Gerry Ritz lives by a quiet lake in the northeastern corner of the riding he used to represent in the House of Commons as a Saskatchewan MP and many years as agriculture minister for Stephen Harper. After two decades of life in politics he says his honey-do list is pretty long, but he has very… Read More
There is constant talk about farmer-led commodity groups joining together to increase efficiencies. The farm groups in Manitoba are working on it, the Grain Farmers of Ontario have done something about it, and now so have the commissions for Alberta Barley (ABC) and Alberta Wheat (AWC). Alberta Barley has been hosting the Barley Summit in… Read More
One thing that is becoming very clear at the agronomy meetings this fall is that, when it comes to clubroot, the maps are changing and not in a good way. Bruce Gossen, plant pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), gave a presentation on clubroot at the Canola Industry Days held at Saskatoon recently. He… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) presented its slimmed-down budget and re-directed strategy to the Canadian canola value chain gathered for the Canola Industry Days December 5, 2018, at Saskatoon, Sask. CCC president Jim Everson took some time out of the conference to discuss what the new priorities will mean. “The board of directors really… Read More
When it comes to Saskatoon, former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall has not been seen much in these parts. In fact, except for the Saskatchewan Party leadership convention, he has not made a public appearance in Saskatoon since he retired as premier. When he showed up at a recent Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan event he… Read More
It’s nice to receive recognition from your peers. It is particularly nice when your peers are also your friends and the recognition occurs in a place of special emotional significance. All these things came together for Elaine Froese during last week’s Agriculture Excellence Conference held at Winnipeg, Man. It was in the ballroom of the… Read More
There was a time when there were many opportunities to hone your skills as a community leader. School districts had boards, grain companies had advisory groups, and there were various committees that supported community activities. Today, there are not nearly the opportunities that were once there to learn leadership skills. Add to that the fact… Read More
Many changes come as a result of crisis of one sort or another. Sometimes the threat is obvious, like an across-the-industry drop in revenue, and sometimes it can be more subtle and fly under the radar. Farm Management Canada came into being in 1992 in response to a financial crisis that was facing the agriculture… Read More
A difficult harvest will push farmers to figure out ways to allow a little more harvesting done or protect what is already in the bin. Getting grain fit to store safely is always a challenge, but if a dryer is at capacity or not an option, can supplemental heat be enough? Rene Deschamps, with Ag Growth… Read More