Reading Time: 4 minutes Throughout his travels as a consultant, Phil Needham has noticed producers continue to struggle with residue management to the detriment of crop emergence, plant counts and yield. Many residue management woes come down to two pieces of equipment: harrows and mismatched choppers on combines, said Needham, who operates an agronomy services company in Kentucky. “I […] Read more
Excess crop residue a yield-robbing issue on many farms
It’s a problem everywhere – mismatched choppers and harrows that don’t fix the problem, says agronomist
Red light, green light — watch out farmers
Health and eco labels a sign of how food and farming is increasingly under the spotlight
Reading Time: 3 minutes Imagine a supermarket where every product is labelled by how healthy it is – green for foods deemed best for you and red for those that aren’t. Then imagine another store, where the ratings are instead based on whether the product was produced according to preferred environmental practices. Both of these (one is called Nutri-Score […] Read more
Ship insurers to cancel war cover for Russia, Ukraine from Jan. 1
London | Reuters — Ship insurers said they are cancelling war risk cover across Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, following an exit from the region by reinsurers in the face of steep losses. Reinsurers, who insure the insurers, typically renew their 12-month contracts with insurance clients on Jan. 1, giving them the first opportunity to scale […] Read more
EDC executive to lead Farm Credit Canada
Justine Hendricks to replace retiring Michael Hoffort
Canada’s federal farm lender is importing its next chief executive from Export Development Canada. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced the appointment of Justine Hendricks, EDC’s senior vice-president and chief corporate sustainability officer since 2019, as FCC’s new CEO effective Jan. 30, 2023. As CEO, Hendricks replaces Michael Hoffort, an FCC staffer since […] Read more
Feds open up consultations for sustainable ag strategy
Producer groups to have reps on advisory committee
The federal government has enlisted farm groups on the ground floor of consultations toward development of a long-term strategy to “amplify” the adoption and use of sustainable practices in agriculture over the next year. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Dec. 12 announced the launch of public consultations on strategy development, running from now through March […] Read more
Climate mitigation grants a huge hit on Alberta farms
More than 700 applications came in this year and a second, bigger surge is expected in February
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hundreds of Alberta producers have completed climate mitigation projects on their farms and the administrator of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund is expecting another wave of applications when the program reopens in February. “We’re swamped but that’s good,” said Fiona Briody, program manager for RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research), which is administering the bulk of […] Read more
French insect-based ingredients maker Ynsect to expand in North America
U.S. plant would use Ardent Mills' flour milling byproducts
Paris | Reuters — French company Ynsect said on Tuesday it had signed deals to build insect ingredient production sites in the United States and in Mexico as the firm kicks off what it says will be the world’s largest insect farm. Ynsect breeds mealworms that produce proteins for aquaculture, livestock, pet food, fertilizers and […] Read more
Mosaic to throttle back Saskatchewan potash mine
Demand increasing, but 'slower than expected'
Demand for potash is coming back after “a year of reduced applications” — but not quickly enough that U.S. fertilizer giant Mosaic Co. plans to keep all its Saskatchewan mines running at their current pace. Florida-based Mosaic said Tuesday it has now “temporarily curtailed” production at its potash mine at Colonsay, about 65 km southeast […] Read more
Corteva to buy biological plant stimulant firm Stoller
Corteva paying US$1.2 billion cash
One of the majors in seed and crop protection is set to further expand its reach in the crop biologicals sector with a deal to buy the Stoller Group. Corteva Agriscience said Wednesday it had signed a “definitive agreement” to buy Houston-based Stoller in an all-cash acquisition worth US$1.2 billion (C$1.61 billion), which it expects […] Read more
Biden administration makes case for quick Senate vote to avoid rail shutdown
Bill imposing deal on workers clears House
Washington | Reuters — The Biden administration on Thursday urged the U.S. Senate to quickly pass a bill to block a railroad strike, warning that serious economic disruptions could be felt within days. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to approve a bill to impose a tentative contract deal reached in September on […] Read more