Blaine Pedersen, shown here in 2016, is Manitoba’s new minister for agriculture and resource development. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Lorraine Stevenson)

Manitoba agriculture merged into new provincial ministry

Manitoba’s provincial agriculture ministry is being merged with its resource development arm under the oversight of the minister responsible for the latter. Premier Brian Pallister on Wednesday announced a reorganization of his government’s ministries along with a shuffle of his cabinet in the wake of his Progressive Conservative government’s re-election last month. The realignment sees […] Read more

Federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on April 10, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Federal minister for rural affairs among Tory pledges

The federal Conservatives’ pre-election pledges for Canada’s rural communities include a plan to appoint a federal minister for rural affairs. Tory leader Andrew Scheer included that promise Sept. 7 in announcing a list of “specific measures he will take as prime minister to help rural communities across the country,” in the lead-up to a federal […] Read more


The old High Level elevator is a far cry from the high-efficiency terminal that will replace it.

New elevator ‘a dream come true’ for Peace Country community

New Richardson Pioneer facility the latest in a string of super-fast loading facilities on the Prairies

Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s been a hard growing season but producers in the High Level area have reason to celebrate — they will soon be enjoying the benefits of the movement that’s seeing new super-fast grain elevators pop up across the Prairies. Richardson Pioneer has started construction on the new elevator, which will be connected to CN Rail […] Read more

The grain entrapment demo unit that the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association takes to farm events is an eye-opener for some producers, but others are harder to reach.

Don’t get trapped — bring a buddy when unloading grain from bins

Most people trapped in grain don’t survive, but a few simple steps can greatly reduce the danger

Reading Time: 4 minutes Of all the dangers involved in unloading grain bins, grain entrapment is indisputably one of the most perilous. A routine entry into a bin to shovel some resistant grain can become deadly in a matter of seconds if the auger — and thus the flow rate — stays active. “One of the main things we […] Read more


These bins on this Bonnyville farm were empty when they were toppled by winds gusting to 130 kilometres an hour in January 2014. The bins were anchored with cables but it wasn’t enough. However, the full bins (which also had cables anchored to the ground) — although described as “rocking back and forth” and needed to be supported by tractors — stayed standing.

Don’t let grain bins blow away — anchor with care

You don’t need a concrete base to keep a bin upright in high winds, but strong anchoring is a must

Reading Time: 3 minutes As anyone who’s seen the footage can tell you, the ‘bomb cyclones’ which hit the flooded U.S. Midwest this spring showed the force of Mother Nature at its most devastating. The combination of heavy winds and water not only knocked grain bins over — it crushed them like aluminum cans, sending them floating down makeshift […] Read more

EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S., Canada, 14 others slam EU farm product regulation at WTO

Geneva | Reuters — The United States and 15 other countries launched a broadside of criticism at the European Union on Thursday, saying its “hazard-based” approach to regulating pesticides and other “critical tools” used by farmers was damaging livelihoods worldwide. Their statement, submitted to the World Trade Organization, said the EU’s approach created great uncertainty […] Read more


(INTLFCStone.com via YouTube)

Commodities firm INTL FCStone enters Canadian market

Already handling ag commodities via partners north of the border, U.S. commodities brokerage and financial services firm INTL FCStone is bringing its own name into the Canadian market. The New York firm announced Tuesday it became a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) effective May 17, clearing the company to offer […] Read more

Viterra expects gains in future

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s biggest grain handler is now set to predict what it will gain from the closing of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single marketing desk. Viterra says it expects its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to rise by between $40 million and $50 million per year in fiscal 2014 and beyond as a […] Read more