National agency to provide a new voice for hemp

National agency to provide a new voice for hemp

New hemp promotion and research agency will collect checkoff from hemp producers for research, promotion and market development

Reading Time: 4 minutes New hemp promotion and research agency will collect checkoff from hemp producers for research, promotion and market development.

Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seeds (left) and Clarence Shwaluk of Manitoba Harvest speak at a southwestern Manitoba field day near Melita in July 2024.

Mapping the genetic development of hemp

Hemp has potential for many markets, from grain to construction materials like hempcrete, but the varieties need fine tuning

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta-grown hemp has potential for many markets, from grain to construction materials like hempcrete, but the varieties need fine tuning.



Hemp variety trials on offer

Hemp variety trials on offer

Reading Time: < 1 minute To allow farmers the option to grow hemp for fibre, research was required on the best hemp varieties suited for fibre production through a variety trial project. This value-added research project was meant to identify hemp varieties to add to Health Canada’s list of approved cultivars. It was led by Canadian Rockies Hemp Corp. in […] Read more


(CanopyGrowth.com)

Canopy Growth sheds California facility amid liquidity worries

Cannabis producer aims to rein in costs

Reuters — Canadian pot producer Canopy Growth said on Thursday it has completed the sale of its facility at Modesto, California as part of its divestitures to raise funding amid liquidity concerns. The sale, the fifth such deal since April 1, is part of Canopy’s ongoing efforts to improve liquidity by reining in costs through […] Read more

If you already have a precision planter for corn, it can work for other crops. Although it produces better, more even emergence, the yield benefit isn't always there, says Gurbir Dhillon, who has been conducting precision planting trials for several years.

Precision planting: Good looks and high yields don’t always go together

Precision-planted crops look great at emergence, but lose that edge if timely rains don't come

Reading Time: 3 minutes If your greatest joy in farming is seeing nice, even emergence, you can’t beat a precision planter. “We tried a bunch of pulse crops, including field peas, chickpeas, lentils, faba beans, soybeans, and we also tried it on irrigated durum and hemp,” said Farming Smarter researcher Gurbir Dhillon. “Seedling emergence and stand establishment improved across […] Read more


“Any time you’ve got the provincial government telling us how much money we can make, then you know you have a problem.”

Usual suspects top the list in profitability forecast

But on many operations, the bottom line may depend heavily on when you bought fertilizer

Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas could rival or even beat canola and wheat as a money-maker this year, but oats are likely to be a big disappointment, according to this year’s provincial profitability forecast. The good news is that nearly every major crop in all five major soil zones is estimated to be a money maker, before fixed costs […] Read more

Canadian Rockies Hemp Corporation CEO Aaron Barr says it’s thumbs-up to more contracts with growers now that production is underway at the Bruderheim plant.

More hemp processing is now underway in Alberta

Two companies are supplying a growing market for sustainable products ranging from building materials to cat litter

Reading Time: 4 minutes [UPDATED: Apr. 11, 2023] Canadian Rockies Hemp Corporation chief executive officer Aaron Barr says products are finally heading out the door of its plant in Bruderheim, Alta. *The company began construction in 2019 and was ready to start processing about eight weeks ago. “We ended up having about five months of extra additions to the […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Food sales grew but margins tightened in 2022, FCC says

Modest further growth expected this year

Food and beverages sales increased in Canada last year, even as margins hit an historic low and consumers chose Canadian less. According to the latest FCC Food and Beverage Report, released Tuesday, sales increased 11 per cent to $156 billion in 2022. These gains came largely from higher export values and strength in the grain […] Read more

Hempalta makes a variety of products from hemp stalks at its Calgary processing facility, one of the few in North America.

Venture capitalists urged to check out Alberta ag tech

Hempalta and Livestock Water Recycling are two companies featured on influential Top 50 list

Reading Time: 3 minutes Two Alberta companies — one making hemp products and the other recycling livestock manure — are among the most investable clean tech ventures in the country. Hempalta Inc. and Livestock Water Recycling, both headquartered in Calgary, are two of eight ag-focused technology companies on the 2022 Foresight 50 list. The list is compiled annually by […] Read more