Wild pigs pose ecological and agricultural problems across Canada and into the United States. Every year, this rapidly reproducing, non-native species expands its territory, most recently being discovered in Alberta’s Elk Island National Park. Originally brought into the country to help diversification efforts in agriculture in the late 80s and early 90s, the invasive species, cross-bred… Read More
As equipment rolls over the finish line for the 2021 growing season, September sales numbers are in from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). In Canada’s 2WD tractor market, less than 40 HP tractors saw a steady increase of 13.5 per cent year-over-year, rounding out at 1717 sold units. Total 2WD farm tractors saw a… Read More
U.S. soybean yields and ending stocks will be larger than the trade was expecting, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October supply/demand report. Based on the reaction in the futures market, the USDA’s October numbers, released Tuesday, were bearish for soybeans, somewhat bearish for corn, and bullish for wheat. The average American soybean yield… Read More
The advent of a global pandemic certainly added volume to the narrative that local equals resilient when it comes to economies, especially food-related economic systems. But Jayson Lusk, food and agricultural economist at Purdue University, says that evidence suggests otherwise, and that a vibrant trade economy actually adds resiliency to local economies. To demonstrate his point,… Read More
AGCO recently showed off its Fendt 1100 Vario MT track tractors at Farm Progress Show. New to the lineup in late 2020, the 1100 Vario MT tractors combine innovations from previous models, as well as newly engineered features that elevate operator comfort and in-field performance. Daniel Smith, product specialist with AGCO, says the series “hits… Read More
Hay season can be demanding, and there’s nothing worse than hay on the ground and a rain cloud coming in. Case IH has a new line-up of windrowers, the WD5 series, that it says offers more consistent dry down and fast speeds, which could be an operational solution for hay producers out there. “The new… Read More
It wouldn’t be 2021 if a product shortage wasn’t yet again making headlines. This time, it’s fertilizer — phosphorus, to be exact, as China plans to essentially eliminate phosphate exports through to June 2022. Josh Linville, director of fertilizer with StoneX, recently joined RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to discuss the latest developments, and why… Read More
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released it’s September 1 Cattle on Feed report Friday afternoon. According to the report, feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head with cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market totalled 11.2 million head as of September 1, 2021. Year over year, the inventory is… Read More
This week was a bit of a wild ride in the markets following the JBS fire that occured in Granville Island, Nebraska. The plant — that has the capacity to process 6,000 head of cattle a day — is now back up and running, but it has many asking “how does this impact the cattle… Read More
Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway’s plan to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) is one major step closer to becoming a done deal. The companies signed a merger agreement on Wednesday after rival Canadian National (CN) Railway waived its right to a five-day period to negotiate new terms with the coveted Kansas City-based railroad. The US$27.2 billion… Read More
Four U.S. senators are pushing, once again, for some form of mandatory country-of-origin labelling (mCOOL) of beef. Earlier this week, on September 8, two Republican and two Democrat senators announced a bill entitled the American Beef Labeling Act, which would require the U.S. Trade Representative to develop World Trade Organization-compliant mCOOL within a year of the bill… Read More
New Holland’s redesigned Speedrower PLUS Series windrower models were launched recently, boasting more productivity, geared for the commercial hay operation or livestock producers putting up a lot of hay. Jordan Milewski says that first off, the new models were designed for more acres per hour. “This machine can offer producers an in-field speed of up… Read More
Surprises were few and far between in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on Friday. The major figures were largely in line with pre-report estimates. On the yield side of things, U.S. corn and soybeans came in just slightly above trade estimates. Corn was estimated at… Read More
When engineers and designers sat down to redesign the Massey Ferguson 8S tractor, they started off by asking farmers what they wanted. “The 8S is the most ambitious redesign of a high horsepower tractor that Massey Ferguson has done in recent history,” says Adam Sills, marketing product specialist with AGCO. The power train was proven,… Read More
As Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange puts it, here in Canada “cattle slaughter has been outstanding.” Following some really good weeks, total Canadian harvests hit 72,400 this week, as Wasko explains in this week’s Beef Market Update. “Breaking that down into young cattle and cows, the steer and heifer kill is basically 63,000…. Read More