The total number of birds on Canadian farms lost due to H5N1 avian influenza nearly hit the 7 million mark in the 2022 calendar year, with over 40 per cent of those birds affected in the last two months in southern B.C. Heading into 2023, the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is... Read More
Category: News
Protecting grain crops from costly plant diseases and making crop production more resilient to climate change are two goals a new $2-million gift to the University of Guelph from Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Announced at the close of the Ontario Agricultural Conference, the funding will support a new GFO professorship in field crop pathology... Read More
The Beef Cattle Research Council's Future Farm scenarios has looked at the five-year financial impact of investing in rotational grazing management or tightening up the calving season. Drawing on findings from the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network, the scenarios exercise looked at where to invest in infrastructure to best improve profitability. For both questions... Read More
Greg Peterson, A.K.A. Machinery Pete, has been following, analyzing, and commenting on the used equipment market for decades, and even he has to admit that 2022 was surprising. Just when you couldn't think the used market of 2021 could be topped, 2022 came along and blew it out of the water, he says in the... Read More
John Deere unveiled a new sensor-based starter fertilizer placement technology for planters as part of the company's keynote address at the CES 2023 tech industry show in Las Vegas on Thursday. The ExactShot system is designed to send out precise small bursts (approximately 0.2 ml) of starter fertilizer onto individual seeds as they are planted,... Read More
When market volatility is not the motivating factor for growers to sell, how do marketers avoid selling complacency setting in? Jonathon Driedger of Leftfield Commodity Research says that the markets could test new highs in the year ahead, but that small moves over time may be more likely in the year ahead. At the top... Read More
The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) and the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax) have announced a new management collaboration. Greg Sundquist, chair of SaskFlax, says the new arrangement offers "administrative and operational efficiencies within our industry ensures that growers’ levy dollars are put to the best use." Canola and flax levies will continue to be... Read More
Now is an interesting time to be making decisions on old crop marketing or pulling the trigger on new crop pricing. Some farmers are well set for new crop, but market analyst Jonathon Driedger of Leftfield Commodity Research says there are three key factors that bear watching early in the new year. Looking very big... Read More
It's said that a farmer has to be a mechanic, biologist, vet, and CEO, sometimes all in the same day. Formal education and hours in the tractor seat are how plenty of farming is learned, but there's always new leadership skills to develop and more to learn. Professional development pays, too, as farms with better... Read More
Negotiating a new agriculture policy framework is never easy, but the next iteration, set for April 1, 2023, was particularly contentious. The ministers met in Saskatchewan in July to set out a final agreement.