Statistics Canada has released its livestock estimates as of January, and although sheep numbers are on the rise it’s a bit of a different story for cattle and hogs. Comparing January 2019 to last year, it was the first year-over-year decrease for hog inventories since January 2013. Although there is small increase for cattle, inventories… Read More
Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister has announced this year’s crop insurance program will see an increase to $230 per acre for coverage levels, up from last year’s total per acre of $216 in the province. The increase means premiums are also going up, but not by much. The premium per acre will increase to an average of… Read More
Taking the risk out of grain storage Deciding to store grain and waiting for the markets to pick up can be a stressful decision. Farming sometimes feels like risk after risk, with nothing helping farmers work towards a really great crop and an excellent profit. Storage is one of the risks that traditional crop insurance… Read More
If you talk about big picture stuff at the very face-to-face kitchen table, your family is far more likely to successfully navigate the farm transition from one generation to the next. Dr. Tom Deans, author and intergenerational wealth expert, says that when business owners (looking at you, farmers!) visit the topic early and often with… Read More
The B.C. government has introduced new laws under Bill 52 to strengthen the provinces Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as part of the province’s plan to encourage farming and better protect farmland. The bill was first introduced near the end of November last year and received royal assent in December 2018. The ALR is administered by… Read More
Revenue minus Expenses equals Profit…right? Mike Michalowicz, author and this year’s opening keynote speaker of TechTourLIVE, says putting profit last is setting yourself up for failure — because putting it last means that profit can wait, that it’s optional, that it’s less important now and more important in some distance future. But that leads to… Read More
In agriculture, when we talk about diversity we are usually talking about crop rotations, the cattle herd, or hybrid breeding. Diversity isn’t always a hot topic when we talk about the people working in this industry, but it can make a powerful difference. Dr. Jeneen Abrams is a soybean breeder at Purdue University and believes… Read More
It appears the Government of Alberta has listened to Team Alberta’s concerns over the timing of the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for new Class 1 drivers announced last month. Transportation Minister Brian Mason has announced agricultural workers may apply for a one-year exemption from the training, recognizing the quick turn-around to implement MELT would be incredibly tight… Read More
Agriculture as a whole struggles with finding enough workers — from dairy barns, to grain fields, and, perhaps most acutely, in the fruit and vegetable sector. Automation and robotics can most easily solve repetitive tasks, but designing and developing automation for high-value, highly perishable product is also highly complex — and expensive. Part of the… Read More
As we see more autonomy and robots on the farm in the future, will that minimize or reduce the impact of the benefits of being a farm kid? Does it change it? There’s an element of the physical aspect of doing some of the work, which creates some of the long-term character, like picking rocks,… Read More
As we approach the ending of another winter, Mother Nature is not being kind. As some Ontario and Quebec farmers learned last week, wind-whipped snow loads can quickly become too much for even brand new construction. Reports of at least one dairy barn, a hog barn, and a drive shed collapsing in the last week has… Read More
Ontario beef producers looking to use the Feeder Cattle Loan Guarantee Program will notice some changes the next time they apply. Changes announced include: Reduced need for credit checks within the program Steps to streamline the transfer of ownership of livestock once a loan is paid off The Feeder Cattle Loan Guarantee Program supports feeder… Read More
In farming, genetics is critical to success in both growing crops and raising livestock. If you combine top flight genetics and the right environment you increase your rate of success dramatically. In a similar way, growing up on a farm can foster so many great traits and skills in kids that are expressed as adults…. Read More
Rural crime has become more and more of a problem in the past couple of years, and a big topic of conversations at CropConnect this year. For one breakout session, lawyer Lisa Labossiere, of Myers LLP, went over recent court cases pertaining to rural crime involving farmer interaction to help ensure farmers understand what they… Read More
If you were lucky enough to be at the sold out CropConnect conference this year, one keynote speaker was sure to leave you feeling refreshed and full of energy. If you weren’t able to attend, have no fear, as you’ll still be able to feel energized from CFL legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons as he shares… Read More