The Alberta Crop Protection Guide — or as it’s more commonly known throughout the province, “The Blue Book” — will now be produced by Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola, and Alberta Pulse Growers, says Erin Tateson, communications manager for Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions in the Grain Exchange newsletter. The four major crop… Read More
Category: Industry Issues
There have been some decades that were incredible for farming, and some not so much. We doubt that anyone would want to go back to the 30s, the 80s, or even the early 2000s — 2002 was a pretty bummer year — but some of us probably wish we could go back to the “good… Read More
Doug Ford’s provincial government has revealed its next budget, a process that was interrupted for several months by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a very large budget — $187 billion — with a projected record-breaking deficit $38.5 billion. Budget spending revolves around current and possibly on-going pandemic disruption for several years, and is split into three… Read More
A new agency has been established to promote the pork industry and fund research in Canada. The Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA) was announced today by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau. Initiated by former Canadian Pork Council (CPC) chair, Jurgen Preugchas and a small group of producers, the effort to establish… Read More
Almost everyone who lives in a rural area is well aware of the challenges with infrastructure and services — from keeping schools open, to attracting and retaining doctors, to building roads and fixing bridges. Fewer though are likely fully aware of just how far behind their local town or municipality has fallen in keeping up… Read More
The Bank of Canada has announced it will hold firm at a 0.25 per cent interest rate for now; and, given the commentary around the announcement, likely for some time. According to J.P. Gervais, chief economist with Farm Credit Canada, it’s not an unexpected outcome. “When you comb through the [Bank of Canada] statement, what… Read More
In a recent RealAg LIVE feature with Michelle Miller (aka The Farm Babe), the issue of advocacy in agriculture came up. Promoting the industry and connecting with consumers has become more important, but how does agriculture amplify its voice? Miller, and others, think a celebrity might be the ticket. They would appeal to the general… Read More
The Alberta government says part of “prioritizing jobs for Albertans” includes making changes to the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program in the province. Alberta’s government plans to limit the number and types of jobs available to new TFWs — making jobs “available for unemployed Albertans,” according to a press release. As of November 1, additional… Read More
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will re-approve newer dicamba formulations for over-the-top use for the 2021 growing season through to 2026. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler made the announcement on Tuesday. The herbicide was previously labeled for in-crop use in soybean and cotton varieties with traits that confer dicamba tolerance, but that… Read More
Fall is often a time when farmers think about pre-purchasing or putting down some fertilizer in order to save a buck and some time in advance of the coming year. For late 2020, fertilizer tariffs on imports into the U.S. is changing the price dynamic and causing some uncertainty. Russian and Moroccan fertilizer companies have… Read More
The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is calling on the federal government to keep its promise on compensation for dairy farmers, stemming from international trade deals that allowed for dairy product access into Canada’s supply managed value chain. “When a dairy farmer makes a commitment, his or her word is gold. We hold our government… Read More
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has harmonized diquat maximum residue limits (MRL) with Canada for group 6c (pulse crops), according to Pulse Canada. The regulation, in effect as of today, establishes tolerance of Group 22 active ingredient diquat in peas, dry beans, and shelled beans, but excludes soybeans. The MRL is set at 0.9… Read More
Fifty years ago, supply management was formed to “save the family farm” and today, the reason for such a system to exist is becoming less clear to some researchers and analysts. A report was recently released on the future of supply management, titled Supply Management 2.0, A Possible Roadmap for the Canadian Dairy Industry. Dr…. Read More
This past summer, Burger King released a rather distasteful advertisement, claiming that a lemongrass feed additive would reduce the amount of methane from cow farts. The ad was changed back in July, with a resulting apology to ranchers, and a review of their feed additive study. In the latest instalment of their advertising campaign, farmer,… Read More
The national rural mental health training program, presented by the Do More Agriculture Foundation (DMA) and Farm Credit Canada, is entering its third year. Applications are now open for the next year of training. The education program is focused on mental health in the ag sector and is aimed at developing the capacity for mental… Read More