More ranchers who were up against a dry 2019 may now be eligible to defer some income from their livestock sales for the income tax year. The federal government on Tuesday released the “final list” of designated regions where income tax deferral on sales of breeding livestock has been authorized for 2019. In a prescribed […] Read more
More tax deferral zones announced for ranchers
Final list released for 2019 tax year
Supply can’t meet demand for thistle-munching weevils
Stem-mining weevils love Canada thistle but getting enough of the bugs has been a challenge for forage association
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada thistle is a huge problem in ranchers’ fields — but unfortunately, demand for one of the solutions has outstripped supply. West Central Forage Association has been selling stem-mining weevils since about 2014 but recently its supplier in Montana has had production problems and been unable to fill its orders. “The last couple of years, […] Read more
EU-Canada trade deal clears hurdle in Dutch parliament
Amsterdam | Reuters — The European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada cleared a political hurdle on Tuesday, when a slim majority of lawmakers in the Dutch lower house voted to ratify the contested deal. Votes by members of the country’s governing coalition were enough to approve the deal, which was rejected by opposition parties […] Read more
Average Prairie heat, more rain in summer forecast
MarketsFarm — Canada’s Prairies should see higher-than-normal precipitation and generally average temperatures during the 2020 growing season, according to a forecast from Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. Speaking Thursday at CropConnect in Winnipeg, Kehler said “there’s not really a strong pattern one way or the other” when it comes to the temperature outlook. The Weatherlogics forecast […] Read more
Industry leaders weigh in on seed royalty review
'Other markets... have already moved past this'
Syngenta’s Trevor Heck isn’t choosing a route for collecting seed royalty rates — but says the federal government needs to “move forward on some type of value capture” model. “Right now, you know, if we don’t have that within the seed industry, it’s going to be very difficult to be able to get the level […] Read more
Court orders big ag firms to hand over documents in antitrust probe
Ottawa | Reuters — A Canadian federal court has ordered a group of major agriculture companies to hand over records and communications in an antitrust probe sparked by allegations some businesses tried to block online farm-supply startup Farmers Business Network (FBN). In a series of court orders issued Tuesday, Federal Court Justice Denis Gascon said […] Read more
AFSC makes changes to perennial crop insurance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Financial Services Corporation is making several adjustments to its perennial crop insurance programs for 2020. These include: Recalculated historical pasture normal yields, resulting in an increase of coverage for pasture insurance. On average, pasture normal yields have increased approximately 55 per cent for this year, which means clients receive higher compensation in the event […] Read more
Grains sector backed to develop export rejection insurance
Code of practice for 'sustainable' crops also in works
The organization representing Canada’s crops sector will get public funding to develop an insurance plan against the “unpredictability” of export customers. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, speaking Wednesday at the CropConnect conference in Winnipeg, announced over $430,000 for the Canada Grains Council to develop a pilot insurance product for grain exporters. Such an insurance plan […] Read more
Klassen: Uncertain beef demand weighs on feeder market
Compared to last week, western Canadian prices for yearling and heavier calves were down $2-$4 on average. The calf market was hard to define; Alberta markets traded $3 lower to $4 higher but notable strength was evident in Saskatchewan and Manitoba where values were steady to $4 higher. Favourable weather contributed to higher auction market […] Read more
Manitoba reviewing underused forage insurance plans
About 18 per cent of forage acres insured
The Manitoba government is taking a look at its Crown crop insurance agency’s relatively under-subscribed offerings to forage growers. The provincial ag department said Tuesday it has launched a review “to better understand the purchasing decisions of Manitoba producers when it comes to forage insurance products” available via Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC). Over 1,200 […] Read more