The Canadian pork industry continues to face roadblocks in rebuilding pork demand and prices, highlighted by the closure of the Olymel processing plant in Vallée-Jonction, Quebec and a HyLife plant in Minnesota. Stephen Heckbert, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council (CPC), says the closures don’t necessarily need to be in Canada to impact the… Read More
Category: Podcasts
Welcome to this Agronomic Tuesday edition of RealAg Radio! You’ll hear from Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, RealAgriculture’s resident agronomist, on a number of topics including: wildfire smoke impact on newly planted crops, crop emergent, and sulphur deficiency. As well as an audio clip from a recent Canola School with Rob MacDonald of BASF on the… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to RealAg on the Weekend! On this episode, host Shaun Haney is joined by Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, based at Eastend, to reflect when she was working at Canfax during the BSE crisis. We will also hear a clip from an episode of RealAg Radio with rancher Tim… Read More
This weekend marks the 20 year anniversary of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or more commonly known as BSE, being found in an Alberta cow, leading to the historic crash in the Canadian cattle industry. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was on the front lines, and recalls the process that began with… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to this Friday edition of RealAg Radio! On today’s show, host Shaun Haney is joined by Lyndsey Smith and Kelvin Heppner, both of RealAgriculture, for the RealAg Issues Panel. They discuss many topics, including: Ontario’s Bill 97 carving up farm land; Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau planning a trip to India in… Read More
Once the canola crop has emerged, keep eyes peeled for pesky early insects. Across Western Canada, the top two insects of concern tend to be cutworms and — you guessed it — flea beetles. Anique Josuttes of BASF says even though we say it year after year, the number one tool you can use is… Read More
Massey Ferguson has brought its rugged, hardworking RB Series of silage balers to North America. The machinery manufacturer rolled out the RB 4160V Classic at the National Farm Machinery Show earlier this year in Louisville, Kentucky. In this video report, Massey Ferguson marketing product specialist Lukas Dickerson notes that the RB Series has been working… Read More
Nathan Phinney, now president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was just finished university and ready to ship some fat cattle for a decent pay day when the BSE news hit. The beef producer from New Brunswick says the impact of the BSE finding in 2003 was a “crippling blow” to not just cattle prices, but… Read More
Nightshade can be a nightmare for edible bean growers. The weed can play havoc with the crop as mature berries produced by the eastern black nightshade plant cause edible bean staining and mud tagging, and can even gum up cleaning equipment at the processing plant. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, Ontario… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to RealAg Radio brought to you by Pioneer Seeds Canada. On this special Thursday edition of the Farmer Rapid Fire, we’re focusing on the 20th anniversary of BSE. Host Shaun Haney is joined by: Ken Schaus of Bruce County, Ont.; Tim Oleksyn of Prince Albert, Sask.; Leighton Kolk of Iron Springs,… Read More
Imagine for a moment receiving 1,000 requests for media interviews in one single day. If you’ve ever worked as a communications contact or spokesperson for an event or group, that number should bowl you over. It’s a tidal wave of attention, and, in 2003, all those asks were of the beef industry. At the time,… Read More
The immediate impact of finding a BSE-positive cow in Alberta in 2003 was swift and brutal. Overnight, Canada’s export market evaporated and prices for cattle, especially older animals, tanked. As we look back on the decades that have followed, the longer-lasting impacts have been monumental, but not necessarily as clear. To dive in to what… Read More
Tucked into the Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ Bill 97 is a proposed change to severance allowances of farmland that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) says could make siting of livestock farms much more difficulty. What’s more, the bill carves out increased power for Ministerial Zoning Orders in the name of housing; however, Peggy Brekveld, president… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to this Wednesday edition of RealAg Radio! On this episode, guest host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Peggy Brekveld, president of Ontario Federation of Agriculture to discuss Bill 97 and the potential impact it will have on farmland, plus you’ll hear a clip from Monday night’s episode of The Agronomists with… Read More
Chilly to downright cold nights have some Ontario farmers worried about alfalfa, wheat, and beans. Of course, if you look west, the heat is on and so are the wildfires, obscuring the sun for much of Alberta. For this week’s around-the-horn on agronomy updates, host of Wheat Pete’s Word Peter Johnson tackles the frost question,… Read More