It’s been a busy week, and we’re ending it off with some serious conversations. In today’s RealAg Radio show, with host Shaun Haney: It’s been an ugly week for live cattle markets, largely driven by fear of the coronavirus. Is there a bottom? Where is it? Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, joins the show for… Read More
If you’re looking for good news, you may not find it in the cattle markets this week. Mounting concerns over the spread of coronavirus and the global economy are starting to play a significant role. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange is considering this a black swan event akin to the fire in Kansas… Read More
We’ve all been there — trying to explain something to someone who just doesn’t seem to get it. But keynote speaker and communication thought leader Gregor Jeffrey says figuring out communication isn’t something you have to do on your own. Science and research can give us the techniques we need to make it work. Jeffrey… Read More
A new mental health project that will see rural and remote communities develop action plans for improvements is underway in Alberta. The Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Division (CMHA AB), with $1.6 million in funding assistance from Alberta Health, is leading the Rural Mental Health Project with up to 150 rural and remote communities across… Read More
Host Shaun Haney starts off the show today with a discussion on the Canadian brand, and how it’s being dragged through the mud with “domestic terrorist” protesters lighting cars on fire, trying to derail trains, and standing in front of trains. Then, on the show: The top ag news stories of the day, with RealAgriculture’s… Read More
Japan has closed all schools for a month, Romanians are facing empty supermarket shelves, and some firms in England have asked staff to work from home. The fear of coronavirus is spreading, and it’s spreading into the commodity markets. “Traders and markets caught obviously the fear of the virus,” says Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim… Read More
Five Prairie wheat and barley groups have “significant concerns” surrounding the Seed Variety Use Agreement pilot project recently announced by the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) and the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA). The Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA), Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat), Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), and the Alberta… Read More
Imagine representing the entirety of retailers that do business in Canada. That’s the role of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), led by president and chief executive officer Diane Brisebois. RCC represents 45,000 retail businesses and online merchants, and food is no doubt a big part of that. “Food, on its own, represents more than… Read More
Saskatchewan-based Avena Foods Limited has announced it will be starting construction on a $20 million oat processing plant at Rowatt, Sask., this spring. The company says the facility will double Avena’s processing capacity for its “start safe, stay safe” gluten-free oat program, and is slated to open in 2021. “This expansion builds on the achievements… Read More
Today’s show covers a variety of topics, from seed value creation to animal activists. Hear: Tyler McCann, Canadian Seed Trade Association, on the new Seed Variety Use Agreement (SVUA) pilot program; A product spotlight with Graham Collier, Nufarm; Todd Lewis, Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, talks meeting the Chinese ambassador, the rail blockades, and the… Read More
Enrolment in 4-H is holding steady in Canada despite geographical challenges, and the organization is offering a wide range of programs beyond the traditional. “I think much like agriculture, 4-H has evolved — who would have thought that technology would play such a big part in agriculture, and who would have thought 4-H had drone… Read More
After last year’s sudden switch to wet weather, forecasting into 2020 is proving challenging says Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics Inc. And with no clear patterns in the oceans, and even prediction models for seasonal weather showing little indication of what to expect, this summer’s forecast is even more challenging. Still, Kehler has some… Read More
After years of discussions about how to fund the development of new crop varieties in Canada, two seed industry groups have announced they’re moving ahead with a pilot program for the 2020 growing season. The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA), along with the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA), announced a Seed Variety Use Agreement (SVUA)… Read More
On today’s show — recorded live from the Lethbridge studio — you’ll hear: Top ag news of the day with news lead Jessika Guse; An update from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s AGM with Ontario field editor, Lyndsey Smith; and Patti Miller, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission, on her decision to step down… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is calling on the federal government to resolve the issues with railway blockades, as agriculture sits on a “tipping point” of lost revenue, lost trade, and potentially an animal welfare issue, as propane, once again, is not making its way east. In Quebec, 85 per cent of poultry barns are… Read More