The expansion in canola crush capacity in Western Canada over the next few years is expected to create opportunities to not only maximize the amount of canola meal in domestic animal feed rations, but also to unlock new demand for feeding livestock and fish in the Indo-Pacific region. “We’re probably seeing about another three million… Read More
Author: Kelvin Heppner
Kelvin Heppner, field editor for RealAgriculture, has been reporting on Canadian agriculture since 2008(ish). When he's not working on a story, he's usually in a chicken barn or a field, as he also farms with his family near Altona, Manitoba.
Rising interest rates mean the federal government’s move to expand the interest-free portion of its advance payment program will save farmers — and cost government — more than originally expected. Last June, the government increased the interest-free amount that farmers can borrow through the cash advance program for 2022 and 2023 from $100 thousand to… Read More
The United States is formally requesting a second dispute settlement panel over Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) policies under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement (also known as CUSMA or USMCA). “Although the United States won a previous USMCA dispute on Canada’s dairy TRQ allocation policies, the Canadian government’s revised measures have not fixed the problem,” said… Read More
A program that offers free one-on-one counselling to farmers in Manitoba is seeing demand for its services, but is also working on raising awareness as it marks its first anniversary. The grassroots and non-profit Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program was launched in January 2022 and started offering farmers and their family members free, confidential counselling sessions… Read More
Jill Verwey, whose family operates a mixed dairy, beef, and grain farm at Portage, Manitoba, was elected president of the province’s general farm organization — Keystone Agricultural Producers — on Tuesday. Verwey has served as vice-president of KAP since 2018, and won the election at KAP’s annual meeting over fellow incumbent vice-president, Jake Ayre, in… Read More
It’s been nearly two years since the first in a series of five separate announcements were made regarding plans to build or expand canola crush facilities in Saskatchewan, largely in response to low-carbon fuel policies driving demand for canola oil. Announcements are one thing, but actual construction is another. While Ceres Global Ag has since… Read More
Before the age of combines, chaff was collected with a crop and left in a pile beside a threshing machine where it was then used for feed. A company based at Wawanesa, Manitoba is helping livestock producers return to this practice of collecting and feeding chaff by building a high capacity Australian-designed chaff cart that… Read More
Grain marketing app company Combyne Ag has been acquired by Bayer Crop Science, joining Bayer’s suite of digital tools for farmers. Combyne, which was known as FarmLead until 2020, will continue to operate at arms-length to Bayer’s broader business, while benefiting from added resources and association with a partner with a shared vision, says CEO… Read More
Manitoba Agriculture’s farm management extension team has developed a tool to help farmers determine how efficient they are with fertilizer, from both an economic and environmental perspective. Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson officially launched the fertilizer efficiency calculator tool at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. The calculator takes into account soil test results, fertilizer prices, product… Read More
Details on programs to be funded under the new five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) will be announced within the next few weeks — at least in Manitoba, according to the provincial agriculture minister. The current five-year Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), which covers most of the agricultural programs that are funded by the federal and… Read More
While the longer-term outlook for exports to China, based on demographics, appears increasingly bearish, the short-term situation still has Canadian producers in a “sweet spot,” according to a veteran western Canadian grain market analyst. China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported the country’s first official population decline in decades on Tuesday. While China’s population still sits… Read More
The Manitoba government is investing up to $10 million in a new facility that’s projected to add around 600 seats for agriculture and food processing students at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon. Premier Heather Stefanson announced the funding for the proposed Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture as part of her opening ceremony address at… Read More
Big Equipment Co., based at Havre, Montana, has announced plans to bring back its well-known Big Bud tractors. Working in partnership with Rome Agricultural and Construction Equipment in Cedartown, Georgia, the company is planning to release the new HD Big Bud in March at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG International Construction Trade show at Las Vegas. Around 500… Read More
Looking back over the past century, economic recessions have more often than not been preceded by a sharp rise in oil prices, as seen in the first half of 2022. Farmers and grain marketers should be looking to the energy market as a leading indicator for where other commodities are headed, according to a market… Read More
Nitrogen prices for North American farmers are no longer at their 2022 highs, but they still have a long way to drop before returning to where they were a few years ago. Where that floor is for the market will largely be determined by European energy policy, John Daniels, fertilizer product manager for Paterson GlobalFoods,… Read More