Farmers and ranchers at work would be exempt from a proposed new law requiring off-highway vehicle (OHV) users to wear helmets while operating on public land in Alberta. Provincial Transportation Minister Brian Mason on Monday announced proposed amendments to Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act that would require recreational users of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, motorcycles, amphibious […] Read more
Farming work exempt from proposed Alberta helmet law
Taxability to rise on Saskatchewan rangeland
The percentage of value (POV) subject to property taxes will be bumped back up on Saskatchewan producers’ rangeland and pasture for the 2017 tax year. Government Relations Minister Donna Harpauer on Monday announced the POV on non-arable (range) land such as pastures will be set via regulatory amendment at 45 per cent, up from 40. […] Read more
Plentiful feed supplies weigh on feed barley prices
CNS Canada — A steady stream of fusarium-damaged wheat is flooding Alberta feedlots these days, giving ranchers a variety of choices on what they can give to their animals — but also keeping feed barley prices in check. “That has definitely been heavy on the barley,” said Allan Pirness of Marketplace Commodities in Lethbridge. That […] Read more
Drought-hit tax deferral zones named
Ottawa has seen enough drought in parts of southwestern Alberta, southern and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to offer deferrals on their ranchers’ 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Tuesday released the federal government’s initial list of municipalities designated for the 2016 deferral. In Alberta, those areas include Clearwater, […] Read more
Ritchie Bros. buys Saskatchewan’s Kramer Auctions
One of the Prairies’ major farm auction houses has become part of the world’s biggest industrial auction firm. Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. announced Tuesday it has bought Kramer Auctions of North Battleford, Sask. for an undisclosed sum. The company, set up in 1949 by the late Eiling Kramer, today runs about 75 on-farm dispersal auctions, four […] Read more
Tips for dealing with greenfeed that saw snow before harvest
Heating can greatly lower the feed value, moulds will reduce digestibility, and the potential for nitrites is higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Greenfeed that saw snow before being harvested this year presents some extra challenges when feeding. Bales containing 18 to 20 per cent moisture (or higher) have the potential to heat, and some of the sugars will be used by the microbes during the heating process, said provincial forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “This will reduce the […] Read more
Cool, wet weather continues to slow harvest
Alberta crop conditions as of November 1
Reading Time: 2 minutes Although the province did not receive much precipitation over the last week, continued cool, wet weather conditions were enough to slow down harvest progress. Provincially, about 76 per cent of crops are in the bin, 14 per cent swathed and 10 per cent still standing. Producers in the Southern, Central and North East Regions were […] Read more
New Holland buying into tillage equipment market
U.S. ag equipment giant New Holland is set to enter the tillage equipment business and stretch out its space in the hay and forage market, with a deal for Danish manufacturer Kongskilde Industries. New Holland’s parent CNH Industrial on Monday announced it will buy Kongskilde’s agricultural “grass and soil” business from Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab (DLG […] Read more
Harvest progress a struggle, unmelted snow remains
Alberta crop conditions as of October 25
Reading Time: < 1 minute Harvest progress continues to struggle as it improved by only a little more than one percentage point over the past week to 74.5 per cent complete and up only five percentage points over the last three weeks. Normally, harvest should be 95 per cent completed or better in all regions by this time period in […] Read more
Ample hay supplies increase the benefits of storing bales properly
Protecting hay that won’t be fed until the winter of 2017-18 could save you $70 a head in winter feeding costs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Protecting hay from weather damage can significantly reduce the cost of wintering cows. Adequate moisture conditions in most of the province have resulted in larger-than-normal yields resulting in bigger stacks and rows of hay bales. If the winter is normal and cow numbers remain static, there could be a large surplus of hay carried over […] Read more