It was billed as an invitation to celebrate the coming into force of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement For Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr made the final stop of a cross-Canada tour with trade commissioners from Global Affairs Canada at Saskatoon. The event was meant to convey a… Read More
Should I or shouldn’t I plant soybeans this spring? This is a question on the minds of many farmers as we head into spring of 2019. For a few years, it looked like soybeans were going to take over many acres across the southern Prairies, but a couple of bad years for soybeans have caused… Read More
Things are looking up for the barley market. That’s the message from the SaskBarley annual general meeting held recently during CropSphere at Saskatoon, Sask. “I think the industry has never been stronger. We’re seeing huge exports on the feed side going into China, we’re strengthening in the malt side, both domestically and globally, and we’ve… Read More
The flax industry has had some tough years. Still recovering acres from the Triffid issue from a few years ago, this past year’s drought in the southern half of the Prairies also limited production. SaskFlax, however, has continued to move forward and plan for success. After the annual general meeting at CropSphere recently, Wayne Thompson,… Read More
What a difference a couple of years make. It was not that long ago Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SaskPulse) was sitting on a $30 million surplus and the projection was for the surplus to just get bigger and bigger. Now, after what may have been the most disruptive year in Saskatchewan’s pulse growing history, reducing the… Read More
The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) awarded Zenneth Faye its Canola Influencer Award earlier this week at the commission’s annual general meeting. Faye is being recognized for his pioneering work in Saskatchewan farm organizations and value-added industries. He served on the commission’s board and the board of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association in its early days. He… Read More
Agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay attended CropSphere at Saskatoon, Sask., on Tuesday where he announced funding for four new science clusters. The clusters will represent barley, wheat, diverse field crops, and soybean, and are funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The federal government will invest $39.3 million and along with $28.4 million in contributions from… Read More
When your livelihood depends on the weather, it seems like it’s never too early to start getting a handle on the forecast. James Garriss, historic climatologist with Browning Media, was a guest presenter at the recent SouthWest Agricultural Conference at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus. RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin had a chance to chat with… Read More
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
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