Back in the winter of 2013-14 when Western Canada’s grain industry was bogged down in a massive rail backlog, the upcoming review of the Canada Transportation Act was viewed as an opportunity to improve the way the rail system moves grain. The review process began in May of 2014 and the final report written by… Read More
Tag: Alberta Wheat Commission
Alberta’s crop commissions have joined forces in urging the provincial government to delay the implementation of its new farm safety and labour legislation to further consult with farmers. “The current government process is causing fear and uncertainty to grasp the industry. Farmers can provide good input and are the subject matter experts on what will… Read More
Alberta wheat growers are contributing nearly $1 million to 13 wheat-related research projects across Western Canada over the next five years. A total of $970,000 in research funding was announced by the Alberta Wheat Commission in Calgary yesterday. “Investing in research is one of our key priorities as it ensures farmers have consistent access to… Read More
This past week the PDQ (price and data quotes) website was launched for farmers across Western Canada. As noted by Tom Steve of the Alberta Wheat Commission, “This level of cooperation is encouraging and we look forward to improving the level of price transparency available for farmers and other industry stakeholders via PDQ.” In truth,… Read More
The Alberta Wheat Commission has launched the first phase of its crop price reporting website aimed at helping farmers make more-informed marketing decisions. As of September 8th, the website — known as PDQ, short for “Price and Data Quotes” — is providing daily regional spot and forward bid prices for red spring wheat, prairie spring… Read More
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Alberta Wheat Commission and Canterra Seeds have announced a partnership to fund the development of new Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat varieties at the AAFC Lethbridge Research Centre. A total of $3.4 million, with $1.2 million from the federal government, will be committed over five years to Dr. Harpinder… Read More
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has teamed up with FARMCo, a grain marketing consulting firm, to head up a large-scale project designed to “improve farmers’ ability to make well-informed marketing decisions and maximize the value of their crops.” The Crop Data and Price Reporting project will lead to the development of a web-based tool that… Read More
It’s freight. It’s margin. It’s a tally of any number of other costs and variables but when it’s all said and done, basis is really nothing more than an incentive to either sell your grain or a reason to sit on it a while longer. While farmers would love to pick apart and object to… Read More
Winter Cereals Manitoba, the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission and the Alberta Wheat Commission have announced shared-funding for a technical specialist position at CIGI. The three-year funding agreement will be targeted at a fund a position aimed at improving the marketability of winter wheat. The position is co-funded by Winter Cereals Manitoba and the Saskatchewan… Read More
Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, received Royal Assent yesterday, May 29, 2014. The bill was introduced into the House of Commons on March 27 as a means to address level of service issues in Canada’s rail transportation system. The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act includes amendments to the Canada Transportation… Read More
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) announced today its plans of investing $1.5 million across ten agronomic and breeding/genetic research projects. This funding commitment is part of the Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC), a group of 14 funding organizations that have partnered to collaborate on agriculture research funding. Kent Erickson, chair of AWC’s board of directors, says… Read More
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) announced today that Tom Steve has been named as the organizations new general manager, effective as of June, 2014. Steve was most recently the general manager of the newly formed Saskatchewan Wheat and Barley Commission. In the past, he’s worked for the government of Saskatchewan and with United Grain Growers… Read More
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand at Agri-Trade at Red Deer, Alta., today to announce over $25 million in funding support for the the National Wheat Improvement Project (NWIP). The Government of Canada, along with the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) and the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance (CFCRA)… Read More
The benefits of growing winter wheat are vast. In addition to providing an efficient use of both early and late-season moisture, winter wheat also creates habitat for upland birds, decreases soil erosion, reduces the need for pesticides (and also the selection pressure for herbicide-resistance in weed populations) and increases the diversity of a crop rotation. Still,… Read More
On the first anniversary of the launch of the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), and following the retirement of Rick Istead from the position, the AWC is pleased to welcome Doug Cornell as the new General Manager. Having developed and honed his skills in both start-up and corporate environments, Cornell is an entrepreneurial manager with an… Read More