In an attempt to support its potato farmers following trade suspensions with the U.S. over potato wart, the government of Prince Edward Island plans to put up $3 million in new funding for a program that will help farmers shift to “soil-building crops.” “In our meetings with industry and the P.E.I. Potato Board, the need […] Read more
P.E.I. seed potato producers backed for ‘soil-building’
Province puts up $3 million for BMP program
Golden arches to go dark in Russia as McDonald’s exits after 30 years
Russia, Ukraine form nine per cent of chain's revenue
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. on Monday became one of the biggest global brands to exit Russia, laying out plans to sell all its restaurants after operating in the country for more than 30 years following the invasion of Ukraine. The world’s largest burger chain, which owns about 84 per cent of its nearly 850 restaurants […] Read more
Alberta seeding ahead of five-year average
MarketsFarm — While spring planting in Alberta is 12.2 per cent complete overall there’s a disparity between the south and the rest of the province. Also, the pace was 2.6 points above the five-year average, but 5.2 behind last year. As of Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture found seeding in the south was at 36.5 per cent […] Read more
Four farm groups join Team Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Four farm groups have joined the province’s big crop commissions under the Team Alberta umbrella. Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, Potato Growers of Alberta, Alberta Seed Growers and the Alberta Beekeepers have joined the four founding members, the wheat, barley, canola and pulse commissions. The idea behind the 2015 creation of Team Alberta is “that working […] Read more
Are cover crops a fit for Alberta conditions?
There are producers making it work here but they warn it’s not easy and comes with lots of unknowns
Reading Time: 5 minutes A decade ago, Brady Valgardson knew he had to do something about wind erosion on his farm. Cover cropping was the solution. “As we started doing that, I just read more and more about the benefits to the soil from those same cover crops, how they can hold on to your nutrients and improve water filtration,” […] Read more
This hidden crop menace is stealthy, destructive and a devil to get rid of
There’s a wide variety of wireworms, their impact varies greatly, and there’s no effective control
Reading Time: 4 minutes Joe Ripley knew something was up in his wheat field — but he had no idea what. “We just had patches where it was very poor quality and there was hardly anything there,” said the grain and cattle producer from the Spring Coulee area in southern Alberta. “We didn’t realize what it was for a […] Read more
P.E.I. table stock potato exports to U.S. now allowed
New U.S. order replaces previous requirements; seed potatoes still blocked
Exports of Prince Edward Island table stock potatoes are again officially allowed to enter the mainland United States, after new U.S. entry rules regarding potato wart were published Friday. Canada’s federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said on Twitter that officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are now preparing to certify exports of eligible […] Read more
Mainland U.S. moving to resume P.E.I. potato imports
P.E.I. growers get 'certainty' for spring planting, Bibeau says
Exports of fresh potatoes from Prince Edward Island to the mainland U.S. are expected to resume “soon” as U.S. officials move to put new rules in place for such shipments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said Thursday that Canada “is expected to soon resume exporting (P.E.I.) table stock […] Read more
Saskatchewan pushes crop insurance deadline to mid-April
'Logistical challenges' led to extension
Saskatchewan farmers will get an extra couple of weeks to apply for, cancel, reinstate or change their crop insurance contracts for 2022, due to holdups in the delivery of their application packages. That deadline, originally March 31, has now been extended to April 14, provincial Ag Minister David Marit and his federal counterpart Marie-Claude Bibeau […] Read more
P.E.I. testing finds potato wart in another field
Testing stemmed from last October's detection
Soil samples taken on Prince Edward Island following detections of potato wart last fall have turned up another field with the fungus that causes the disease. The P.E.I. Potato Board on Tuesday said the field in question is near to, and is “directly associated” with, a field where the soil-borne disease was found in October. […] Read more
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