Realized net income for Canadian farmers rose 18.3 per cent in 2023 to C$14.5 billion, as growth in receipts offset a rise in expenses, according to a report from Statistics Canada released May 29.
Realized Canadian farm income up, net income down in 2023
Total farm cash receipts rose 4.4 per cent compared with 2022 on higher crop marketings; cattle prices
Nutrien idles three blenders in Brazil ‘indefinitely’
Nutrien Ltd, the world's largest producer of potash fertilizer, confirmed on Tuesday that it is indefinitely halting three blenders in Brazil, where it is trying to navigate difficult market conditions.
Nutrien potash mine closed for investigation after fatal accident
An employee died Sunday at a Nutrien potash mine in Saskatchewan, temporarily shuttering the operation as the company conducts an investigation, the company said Monday.
The wild side of zoonotics
Did the U.S. practice of feeding chicken litter contribute to the bovine flu outbreak?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza A has crossed the boundaries from the chicken barn to the dairy farm and from there to a human in the United States. This is a serious virus that has infected poultry in 50 American states since 2022. The person infected in April is the second U.S. human […] Read more
U.S. fertilizer imports helping fund Russian war effort, CF Industries says
Reuters – U.S. agriculture companies have been brisk importers of Russian fertilizer since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, a practice that is unwittingly helping fund Russia’s war against Ukraine, U.S. producer CF Industries CF.N said on Thursday. The U.S. does not impose sanctions directly on Russian fertilizer, which is important to global food supplies and prices. […] Read more
How to get the most out of canola crops when moisture is scarce
Is it possible to obtain more yield with less available moisture? You have a number of variables within your control
Reading Time: 4 minutes Trevor Hadwen says recent snowfall in many parts of the Prairies is welcome, but is a “drop in the bucket” when it comes to rebuilding soil moisture reserves. The agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Agroclimate Information Service in Regina says a lot of the winter precipitation to date has been lost to […] Read more
Humalite a made-in-Alberta success story
Research backs claims of increased yield when used with fertilizer
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been proven to increase grain yield, seed protein content and nitrogen use efficiency by up to 19, 30 and 60 per cent respectively, and researchers are still finding more uses for it. It’s called humalite, an organic soil amendment found exclusively in large deposits near Sheerness, about 25 kilometres from Hanna. It’s shaping up […] Read more
Plot2Farm wraps up another (dry) year
Although short on big news, it offered insight on how crop products work in dry conditions, says agronomist
Reading Time: 5 minutes When it comes to on-farm testing, part of the equation is seeing how products function in the real world. So, while dry conditions are not ideal circumstances, the agronomist lead of Alberta Grains’ Plot2Farm program says testing enhanced efficiency fertilizers, PGRs and nitrogen rates has value. “I’d say overall (2023) was a relatively successful year,” […] Read more
Economic headwinds seen for Canadian farmers
From interest rates to the dollar to commodity prices, here’s what Farm Credit Canada sees coming
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm Credit Canada predicts a bit of a rocky road ahead for Canadian farmers, with input prices high, commodity prices low and interest rates not expected to drop in the short term. “The sentiment of the industry is not the greatest right now,” said Desmond Sobool, FCC’s director of economics and deputy chief economist, speaking […] Read more
Alberta company deploys worm army to improve soils
Annelida Soil Solutions won an innovation award for its soil amendment based on worm castings
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – An Alberta company wants to turn poop from about 80 million worms into a natural superfood for the soil. “Essentially, what we’re doing is using Mother Nature and creating a soil microbiome through our technology,” said Jamie DePape, co-founder and director of sales for Annelida Soil Solutions Ltd. “And it might sound […] Read more