Wheat and barley grower organizations from across Western Canada are trying to figure out how to move forward with farmer involvement in variety development. The transitional Western Canadian wheat and barley check-offs implemented by the federal government with the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly in 2012 are set to expire in 2017. The majority… Read More
Category: News
Canada’s international trade minister says Canada intends to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in New Zealand on February 4, while emphasizing “signing does not equal ratifying” the TPP. Chrystia Freeland posted an open letter on her department’s website earlier today indicating “when the 11 other countries convene to sign the agreement next week, Canada will attend… Read More
A recent spurt of colder weather in Ontario is bad news for pests and good news for farmers, says OMAFRA Field Entomologist Tracey Baute. “It makes entomologists a little nervous, especially when we don’t see winter arriving until mid January,” says Baute who’s concerned that the warm fall and late-arriving winter of 2016 will mean… Read More
A little over a week after the announcement of over $7 million for 40 crop-related research projects in Saskatchewan, the provincial government, along with the Government of Canada, gave another announcement — livestock and forage research projects will receive a $7.8 million funding contribution. “The livestock industry plays an important role in driving jobs and growth in… Read More
After implementing restrictions on the use of corn and soybean seed treatments last summer, the Ontario government is now seeking public feedback on a “Pollinator Health Action Plan.” The plan is seen as the third component in the province’s pollinator health strategy, with the other two pillars being restrictions on neonicotinoid seed treatments and the… Read More
We’re talking about everything from the state of the US and Canadian economies to SaskCanola’s effort to share how many farmers view modern ag technology through the “License to Farm” film. After spending most of the week at Ag Days in Brandon, Kelvin Heppner host of this week’s news podcast and is joined by a… Read More
Health Canada has issued notice it intends to stop granting new conditional registrations for pesticides as of June 1st, 2016. “The Government of Canada is committed to making regulatory decisions that are open and transparent, which is why we have decided to discontinue the use of conditional registrations,” said Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, earlier this… Read More
Tractors keep getting bigger and bigger, but with the advent of automation, do we really need 500 HP tractors? Ohio State University (OSU) professor Scott Shearer doesn’t think so. He believes future tractors will get a lot smaller and become autonomous units that make farm soils more productive. “The current trend to increasingly larger equipment… Read More
It was just over a year ago that Farm & Food Care Canada released its fourth edition of “The Real Dirt on Farming” booklet, with the goal of distributing one million copies over the following four years. The organization says that milestone was reached this week, just 15 months after the 52-page digest was first… Read More
Manitoba farmers will see their crop insurance coverage increase by an average of seven percent while average premiums per acre will decrease by four percent in 2016. Manitoba Ag Minister Ron Kostyshyn made his annual crop insurance program announcements at Manitoba Ag Days on Tuesday, the last day before the pre-election blackout on Manitoba government… Read More