CNS Canada — The first hay cut is well underway in several parts of Manitoba as favourable weather conditions set the stage for what could be a decent forage season. “Generally speaking they’re (forages) all doing well,” said Pamela Iwanchysko, farm production extension specialist with the provincial government in Dauphin. “The rains were timely.” What […] Read more
Manitoba forages fight past winterkill, pest issues
Farmers keen early adopters, StatsCan report shows
CNS Canada — Canadian farmers in most sectors are strong proponents of data-driven technology, according to a report Wednesday from Statistics Canada. The latest release from StatsCan’s 2016 Census of Agriculture showed farmers were particularly keen to jump into new technology if it improved the efficiency of their operations or their bottom lines. StatsCan spokesperson […] Read more
Ag sector equity rises in 2016
CNS Canada –– Agriculture sector equity rose slightly in 2016, according to a Statistics Canada balance sheet on the industry. Farm sector equity totaled $500.3 billion for the year ending Dec. 31. That’s a 4.5 per cent increase, or $21.6 billion, from the same period a year ago, according to the report released Wednesday. Farm […] Read more
U.S. Trade Representative says no deadline for NAFTA deal
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday there was no deadline for completing NAFTA trade talks between the United States, Canada and Mexico even as lawmakers warned that U.S. business would be hurt by prolonged negotiations. “There is no deadline. My hope is that we can get it done by […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium choose new married name
Canadian fertilizer giants Agrium and PotashCorp have picked the new brand under which they plan to do business once their proposed merger clears. Calgary-based Agrium and Saskatoon-based PotashCorp announced Wednesday their new merged company, pending regulatory review and approvals, will be named Nutrien. “The new organization will be the global leader in reliable, low-cost crop […] Read more
NAFTA agriculture ministers see ‘few’ differences over trade
Garden City, Ga. | Reuters — The U.S., Canada and Mexico have “relatively few” differences on agricultural trade, agriculture ministers from the three countries said in a joint statement after meeting Tuesday to discuss the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, some “irritants” are present for each country in the runup to […] Read more
Seeding nears the finish line, growing conditions good to excellent
Alberta crop conditions as of June 13
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past week, most areas of the province received at least 10 mm of rain, with the western areas of the Southern, Central and North West Regions as well as southern areas of the Peace Region receiving over 20-30 mm of rain. About 96 per cent of crops across the province have now been […] Read more
Agrium buys polymer maker’s ag chem applications
Fertilizer and ag retail firm Agrium has closed a deal for an Australian polymer maker’s ag chemical business, aiming to put it to work in fertilizer and pesticide application. Calgary-based Agrium said Tuesday it has bought Starpharma Holdings’ agrochemical business for A$35 million (C$35.3 million) via Agrium’s U.S. crop input arm, Loveland Products. The deal […] Read more
Bioprocessor coming to Sarnia
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has invested in California bio-based products company Origin Materials. Origin Materials will be building its first commercial-scale demonstration facility in Sarnia, Ont. by late next year. It will be using bio-based feedstocks such as crops and biomass to make new polymers, surfactants and carbon blacks, which are used as fillers and […] Read more
Seeding 91 per cent complete, harvest of over-wintered crops nears completion
Alberta crop conditions as of June 6
Reading Time: < 1 minute A week of favourable weather has advanced seeding to 91 per cent completed, up 12 percentage points for the week but well behind the five year average of 99.5 per cent. Seeding intentions are changing due to the late date as producers shift acres to barley away from spring wheat, canola and field peas. Crop […] Read more
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