The ongoing quest — or battle — to feed the planet is not solely a foreign affair. Nor is it a product of war or natural disaster. Take Ontario, for example. In one of Canada’s most affluent provinces, more than 375,000 people use food banks every month. The underlying causes of Ontarians’ hunger are different… Read More
Category: Features
On-farm efficiency is certainly a hot topic in today’s agricultural climate. But are we getting a little too keen for speed in the sprayer? We’ve heard often the importance of patience while seeding (check out the Canola School on seeding speed/depth from 2013), but sprayers are often exceeding 15mph in the field. This can have detrimental impacts… Read More
On Monday, January 12th, the USDA released its January installment of the WASDE repor. Heading into the report, most analysts were bearish, and the report ended up showing some increased corn demand compared to the December report, which is why corn was the only grain that was green/higher by the end of the day. Specifically,… Read More
If the first two weeks of 2015 are any indication for the rest of the year, volatility in cattle markets is the name of the game. From steep drops to quick run-ups yet again, the U.S. cash market and the wholesale side has already shown some real movement. The big questions for cattle producers and… Read More
As part of TWORA for January 15th (yeah — it’s the middle of January already!), Lyndsey denies stealing a megaphone from a plane in Saskatoon and shares some highlights from her time at CropSphere. This week’s podcast also touches on the record shipping year for the St. Lawrence Seaway, fines levied against CN and CP Rail… Read More
I’m a big proponent of farmers speaking out, of advocacy and of standing up to activists. It’s encouraging that Don McCabe, recently elected president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said in his 2015 outlook address Friday that the federation’s advocacy role has never been more important. The same goes for beef producers. Their new… Read More
With the holidays now behind us, the machine that is Canadian agriculture is revving up again for a busy few months of meetings and planning. Calving and another seeding season will be here before we know it. From the social media frenzy surrounding the #farm365 hashtag to a new disease found in canola — here’s a farm… Read More
In less than 20 years, there will be no farmers or ranchers under the age of 35 left in the state of Wyoming, according to a study published in the U.S. journal Rangelands last week. Researchers analyzed demographic trends among farm and ranch operators in the state from 1920 to 2007, and as you would expect,… Read More
How do you make a skinny tire that damages as little crop as possible but doesn’t just cut through soft soil like a knife through butter? The key is having a flexible sidewall that allows the tire’s footprint to expand. “Basically the ability to make the tire as flexible as possible means you can carry a much higher… Read More
2014 started out with a lot of frustration: Grain was hardly moving through Canada as the Great White North experienced some record cold temperatures and record ice cover on the Great Lakes. With the railroads making more money moving oil, elevators couldn’t take deliveries and the amount of ships sitting at the port waiting for… Read More