All eyes are on the skies as this Canadian winter stops and starts and howls and mellows from west to east. For many regions, there’s been snow, storms, rain, a warm up, and cold temps, all within a few weeks of each other. To get a sense of what’s happening now with weather patterns, and… Read More
Category: News
Linamar Corporation is set to acquire Bourgault Industries Ltd. of St. Brieux, Saskatchewan, for C$640 million. Linamar’s existing agricultural brands include harvesting specialist MacDon and tillage and crop nutrition expert Salford. The company says that buying Bourgault positions Linamar to increase its market position as it now possesses a full lineup of products in the… Read More
The parent company of Basak Traktör — an agricultural manufacturer based in Turkey — has reached a deal to acquire 97 per cent of the shares in Manitoba-based Buhler Industries from Russia’s largest agricultural manufacturer, Rostselmash. Buhler, which employs around 800 people building Versatile tractors and Farm King equipment, has been majority-owned by Rostselmash since… Read More
The federal government has extended Doug Chorney’s appointment as the chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. Chorney’s three-year term was to expire in December, but the Governor-in-Council has extended it to April 30, 2024. Chorney, who farms at East Selkirk, Man., has agreed to continue in the role until then. The government sought applications… Read More
The union representing employees who work at Viterra’s elevators in Saskatchewan and at the grain company’s head office in Regina is planning to make a decision in early January on whether to move ahead with strike action. Members of the Grain and General Services Union (GSU) Local 1 (Viterra Country Operations and Maintenance) and Local… Read More
It’s time to wrap up this season of The Agronomists, tackling the top agronomy lessons of the year. From extreme dryness in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to a mixed season in Manitoba, and a dry-to-very-wet season in Ontario, we’ve got three agronomists to unpack the worst and the wins of 2023. For this episode… Read More
Telecommunications companies working to bring cell and data service to areas with poor connectivity by satellite have reached several milestones over the past week, raising hopes of better cell service for areas lacking coverage from existing cell towers, including many farm fields and pastures. While traditional satellite phones require specialized devices and expensive high-altitude satellites,… Read More
While the number of new cases each week has started to drop with the end of the fall migration, the tally of poultry farms in B.C. infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza this fall has surpassed the 50 mark as of this week. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the virus on 47… Read More
When it comes to the past past, markets and market outlooks have leaned heavily to the bearish side. Steve Nicholson, global sector strategist for grain and oilseeds with Rabobank, is one analyst who is going against the trend, at leasts for wheat and oilseeds, including canola. Setting aside corn and beans and looking at wheat,… Read More
Canada’s beef cattle industry has made significant, continual improvements on the amount of methane emitted by cattle over the last 30 years. A combination of genetic selection and feeding advancements plus sound scientific research means that Canadian ranchers and feedlot operators have a good story to tell about cattle production. Dr. Tim McAllister, research scientist… Read More
It turns out that even Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is mortal, and in this week’s podcast you’ll likely end up feeling a little sorry for Mr. Johnson, as his voice has fallen victim to the winter woes. Nonetheless, our intrepid host of Wheat Pete’s Word still has managed to record this episode and in it… Read More
A majority of senators voted in favour of a twice-amended version of Bill C-234 at third reading on Tuesday night, sending the hollowed-out bill back to the House of Commons. MPs in the Commons previously approved the private member’s bill, which would have removed the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on… Read More
It’s time for another podcast featuring Wisemeyer and Haney covering all the big agricultural topics impacting farmers and ranchers in Canada and the United States! This week Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture and Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst with Pro Farmer, jump into some issues that really connect and are creating angst in the countryside of… Read More
Saskatchewan is joining other provinces in offering AgriRecovery support to beekeepers who suffered suffered high colony losses in 2022. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and his Saskatchewan counterpart, David Marit, announced the launch of a $1 million AgriRecovery program for beekeepers in the province on Tuesday. Saskatchewan joins Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario in providing disaster… Read More
Environment and Climate Change Canada has published its draft protocol for Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle (REME protocol). This is the fourth draft protocol under Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, following those for refrigeration, landfill methane (completed), and forestry (in draft). The REME protocol is intended to “incentivize farmers to implement changes… Read More