Reading Time: 2 minutes The story about bison prices this year is “a damn good one.” “When we talk to marketers, the question we ask is, ‘How frequently are you shorting your customers?’ And they say, ‘Very frequently,’” said Terry Kremeniuk, executive director of the Canadian Bison Association. “That just demonstrates how strong the demand is out there.” The […] Read more
Bison producers can’t keep up with ever-increasing demand
Demand for Canadian bison is beginning to outstrip supply
Look at your farm the way a consumer would, says animal welfare expert
The term ‘producers’ is a problem, and so are a host of common practices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers need to talk and think about animal welfare differently to gain the trust of consumers, says an official overseeing animal welfare at one of the largest dairies in the U.S. “Everything happens through people,” Jennifer Walker, a veterinarian and director of dairy stewardship at Dean Foods, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted […] Read more
Bayer to consider shedding animal health unit
Leverkusen, Germany | Reuters –– Bayer might look into selling its animal health division if it continues to struggle to find takeover targets for the business, the German drugmaker’s incoming chief executive said. “Animal Health is a business that we have been trying for many years to strengthen strategically, that is to say inorganically. That […] Read more
What the neighbours are paying doesn’t matter
Here are three ways to calculate fair rental rates — and none involves going to the coffee shop
Reading Time: 2 minutes Determining a fair rental rate isn’t easy, says provincial farm business management specialist Dean Dyck “Often, people use what others are charging or paying in the local area,” said Dyck. “Following this approach has pitfalls because the rate may not be reflective of the soil productivity on the farm or there may be a difference […] Read more
Oil companies bucking their commitments
Farmers are struggling to get oil companies to pay their leases and complete reclamation work on abandoned wells
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s a wet spot originating from an oil well in Anthony Bruder’s pasture that his cows won’t drink from. “I’ve seen cows walk up to it, sniff it, and then walk a half-mile to the other end of the field to drink from the lake,” said Bruder, who farms near Twin Butte. “If the cows […] Read more
A ‘celebration’ of women in agriculture
About 560 women — two-thirds of them farmers — attended the Advancing Women conference
Reading Time: 3 minutes They came from every province in Canada and five American states. They cheered, laughed, cried, tweeted, talked and networked. About 560 women — two-thirds of them farmers — filled the banquet halls of the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Advancing Women conference at the end of March. Now in its third year, the two-day conference […] Read more
Canadian farmland values up again in 2015
Farm Credit Canada says the annual percentage increase in farmland values is getting smaller
Reading Time: 4 minutes Manitoba farmland values led the way with the highest average percentage increase in Canada last year, says Farm Credit Canada (FCC). But the pace of increases the last few years here and across Canada is slowing in step with the plateauing of farm cash receipts, and slower drop in interest rates, J.P. Gervais, FCC’s chief […] Read more
There is opportunity all around us and it’s there all the time
All sectors in agriculture have tremendous strengths and every farm operation can capitalize on them in some way
Reading Time: 3 minutes I am a business mentor for a young woman who just landed a multimillion-dollar deal. She and her family took a risk, went without for a few years, and worked hard to get their product going. They had folks who believed in them but more importantly, they believed in themselves. She once said to me […] Read more
Investor group launches campaign to curb antibiotic use in food
Reuters — Fifty-four large investors managing one trillion pounds (C$1.84 trillion) in assets have launched a campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in the meat and poultry used by 10 large U.S. and British restaurant groups. McDonalds and JD Wetherspoon were among those to receive a March 15 letter from institutions including Aviva Investors […] Read more
EU deal yet to bear fruit for Ukrainian exporters
Gorodok | Reuters — Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the European Union was meant to lure the bread basket of the former Soviet Union away from its longstanding ties with Russia by offering better access to the EU market. But debate about it was the spark that lit the Maidan street protests in 2013 and a […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
