A view of BHP’s potash mine project north of Jansen, Sask. (BHP.com)

BHP approves Saskatchewan potash project’s completion

Major miner expects to produce about 4.4 million tonnes of fertilizer per year

After over a decade of development and digging, one of the world’s biggest mining and metals companies has granted its Saskatchewan potash mining project the go-ahead to completion and full production. Australian-British mining firm BHP announced Tuesday its board has approved its potash mine about 60 km southeast of Humboldt, near Jansen, Sask., for another […] Read more


There are 75 regulated and prohibited noxious weeds in Alberta.

Weed-free forage program relaunched

Some counties are now offering inspections to ensure invasive weeds are not present in hay

Reading Time: 2 minutes A program aimed at preventing the spread of invasive and noxious weeds via hay is getting a second shot. Alberta’s first go-round with a Certified Weed Free Forage program a decade ago never fully took off but the Alberta Invasive Species Council has revived the initiative. “Use of certified weed-free forage is a best management […] Read more

Cattle graze near Dauphin, Man. in late July. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

Feds lock in AgriRecovery funds before election call

Ottawa's pledged share now up to $500 million

Just hours ahead of a federal election call, the federal government has committed $500 million to cover its share of federal/provincial AgriRecovery support plans for drought-hit farmers across Canada’s West. Shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit Sunday to Rideau Hall seeking the dissolution of Parliament for a federal election, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed […] Read more


Feeding site permit requirement suspended

Feeding site permit requirement suspended

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Natural Resources Conservation Board is suspending the requirement for a permit for a temporary confined feeding site. The government agency “recognizes that due to the current very dry conditions and poor grass pastures, summer feeding of cow-calf herds may be required (and)… will not require producers to obtain permits” for temporary confined feeding. However, […] Read more




Forage research gets long-awaited boost

Forage research gets long-awaited boost

Reading Time: < 1 minute Forage research will get a much-needed boost with the creation of a new research position at the University of Saskatchewan. “A 2012 assessment concluded lack of research and development investment in the Canadian forage industry meant advances in forage had not kept pace with developments in other crops,” the Beef Cattle Research Council said in […] Read more


Crop quality greater in western Manitoba

MarketsFarm – While the western parts of Manitoba are seeing healthy crops, the eastern and Interlake regions aren’t so fortunate, according to Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. Crop ratings for both the southwest and northwest regions range from 50 to 75 per cent good to excellent, according to the province’s weekly crop report released on […] Read more

This fellow’s ancestors hailed from Serbia, but the Rhinusa pilosa — a.k.a. stem-galling weevil — now makes its home in Alberta and B.C., where it feeds on yellow toadflax, a weed that infests pastures.

There’s foreign workers in the bug world, too — and they attack weeds

Bringing in weed-attacking pests is a laborious process but it’s often the only option for pastures

Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many ways to control weeds. Rose De Clerck-Floate’s favourite is to reunite them with their longtime enemies from the old country. “All of the weeds here can come from other parts of the world, mostly Europe and some from Asia, and establish here without the organisms that keep them in check in their […] Read more