Most Western Canadians are aware of STARS air ambulance, whether you’ve been to a fundraiser, heard the helicopter overhead, or have had you or a loved one be picked up by the air ambulance in the face of tragedy. As many of us in the agricultural sector reside in rural areas, we know it can… Read More
Technology and innovations in agriculture are continuously changing and evolving, but over the past while, there has been a bit of a surge in sprayer technology. Due in part to herbicide resistance, cost of chemicals rising, and a need for efficiency, sprayer technology is ever-changing. Tom Wolf, of Agrimetrix and Sprayers 101.com, was at Ag… Read More
AGvisorPRO, a global platform that connects farmers to experienced ag experts, launched this week in Ag in Motion. Currently offering access to roughly 50 advisors, the platform enables users to connect via audio, video, or text, with photo-sharing capabilities. It also saves the connection for future reference. “AGvisorPRO is basically the ‘Uberization’ of knowledge and… Read More
Over the past number of years, there has been an increase in labour shortages for both meat processors and those in mushroom production. To put it in perspective, there are nearly 1,700 empty butcher stations at meat processing plants across Canada, and as far as mushroom production goes, their job vacancy rate has almost doubled… Read More
The Alberta government is extending their hand to ranchers who take care of the land they lease. Those who demonstrate “exemplary care for public lands” will be allowed to lease the land to a maximum of 20 years. The change, according to a news release, will allow ranchers to spend more time focusing on their… Read More
In a survey of over 1,300 Canadian farm employers, 47 per cent say they can not fulfill their labour needs, and one in three respondents said they receive zero Canadian applicants when they post an available job. With approximately 37 per cent of the workforce expected to retire in the next 10 years, agriculture’s labour… Read More
Behind the scenes, to front and centre, women have always played a critical role in farming and in the agriculture industry. In this episode of Mind Your Farm Business, host Shaun Haney speaks with three women from unique backgrounds and stages of their careers, to talk about their perspective on the challenges and opportunities that… Read More
Farming and ranching organizations across western Canada are collaborating with a University of Waterloo research project to better understand producers preferences when it comes to conservation programs. Research lead, Dr. Jeremy Pittman says a big question they’re hoping to answer is how they can make both agriculture and species at risk thrive on Canadian landscapes…. Read More
Alberta-based farmer Lynn Dargis spent much of Canada’s Farm Progress Show on the other side of a booth, bringing attention to her recently unveiled grain pricing platform. Farmbucks, launched at the end of February, collects, sorts and displays grain prices in real time, with its newest version (2.0) offering price history lines, price alerts, geographic… Read More
Data from a new report by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) shows that farmer’s across Canadian ag industry lost $2.9 billion in sales due to unfilled vacancies. The amount is an increase of $1.5 billion since 2014. The Labour Market Forecast to 2029 also shows 46 per cent of producers who reported vacancies… Read More
Changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations could be on the way, following proposed changes published in the Canadian Gazette. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) are seeking comments from all interested parties on a proposal to amend the regulations to allow temporary foreign workers more flexibility in… Read More
Trust is the basic building block of all relationships. You can’t have accountability, commitment, or constructive conflict without first having trust. A lack of trust or a breach of it is a business risk, but how do we first measure, then manage that risk? Trust, like the word strategy, is thrown around largely as a… Read More
It seemed like a rare opportunity to bring agriculture to the fore when, in 2014, the United Nations’ General Assembly declared it to be the International Year of Family Farming. At the time, it said the declaration was to “raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger… Read More
At the 106th Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association annual general meeting, Gateway Livestock Exchange’s Anne Wasko presented on the current situation in the beef markets. The theme of the two-day convention was Strategies for Success, and in this episode of the RealAgriculture Beef Market Update, Wasko goes over just that. She says the biggest topic she’s… Read More
The 106th Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) annual general meeting was held this past week in Moose Jaw, Sask. More than 100 ranchers and industry from across the province came to the convention held on Monday to hear from keynote speakers with the formal AGM held on Tuesday. “We had a very productive AGM adopting… Read More