The Federal Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier ruling by the Canadian Transportation Agency giving Parrish & Heimbecker access to lower priced rail service from BNSF Railway in southern Alberta. CP Rail had argued it was not required to provide service at statutory interswitching rates for the P&H elevator at Milk River because one of the… Read More
Category: Western Canada
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
One more hit out of every 20 at bats — for a baseball player, that’s the difference between an elite .300 batting average and an only-okay .250 average. Over the length of a ballplayer’s career, that extra hit every five or so games will land a player in the Hall of Fame. It’s the difference… Read More
Guest Post By Dave McEachren (also known as @DeereDave on Twitter) On a recent trip to the mid-western United States, I had the joy of a Chicago O’Hare-connecting flight. Is that sarcasm, you ask? Not at all. Can you imagine over 180,000 passengers travelling through that one airport everyday…yes, everyday! During my time in the… Read More
Concerned about soil compaction? You’re not alone. Soil structure and health is increasingly on farmers’ radars for very good reason — the more researchers uncover about soil, the more links we have connecting soil quality to everything from crop yield, to nutrient run-off risks and erosion problems. The unfortunate thing about compaction, says Jodi DeJong-Hughes,… Read More
Available for the first time in 2015, growers of Clearfield lentils, field peas, soybeans and Clearfield canola, have a new option for both early season and flushing broadleaf control, plus grassy weed control in Odyssey Ultra. Shaun Haney caught up with Danielle Eastman, western herbicide brand manager for BASF, at last week’s Crop Production Show… Read More
Soybean varieties that are tolerant to both glyphosate and dicamba herbicides are one step closer to being introduced to the North American market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its decision on January 15th to deregulate Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean trait, meaning the company’s glyphosate and dicamba-tolerant soybeans have now received regulatory consent in both… Read More
A spokesperson for Canada’s baking industry suggests grain farmers will face increased scrutiny unless further mitigation practices to prevent the presence of mycotoxins and allergens in grain are implemented. “There are issues about mycotoxins and adventious presence (of allergens) that producers need to become engaged on,” said Paul Hetherington, CEO of the Baking Association of Canada,… Read More
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) published a resource on body condition scoring cattle this week. Along with the video below, the BCRC’s body condition scoring resource provides an interactive cow graphic, enabling you to compare an animal along a changing scale, and see the gains and losses in pregnancy rates, value, antibody levels in colostrum… 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
Do you plan on taking a nitrate-nitrogen soil samples this spring, before planting? The test for nitrate-nitrogen levels can provide key information in how much fertilizer should be applied for a growing corn crop. And, making that decision gets easier and easier. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a handy table with… Read More
The federal government says Canadians will benefit from “more accurate and timely” weather forecasts thanks to $134 million in funding for Environment Canada. “Through our government’s investment in our critical weather monitoring infrastructure and innovative technologies, communities and business sectors across the country will have access to more timely and accurate weather information based on… Read More
A recent survey suggested that 52% of family businesses don’t have a succession plans. Farms are family businesses — does that number sound about right to you? If so, there are thousands upon thousands of farms and farmers that are still dragging their feet on planning the long-term viability of their farm businesses. What will… Read More
It’s a disease that affects a number of significant crops in Canada, including vegetables, pulses, canola and even some forage species. And last year, some farmers saw particularly high levels of white mould in soybean crops across Ontario. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, or white mold, makes its mark on plants in lesions that appear water-soaked; white, fluffy mycelium;… Read More