Three examples of how ag-processing is taking root in Alberta: The largest hemp fibre processing plant in the world is up and running in Bruderheim (top left), a relatively new pulse processor in Calgary is already expanding (top right), and construction of a massive new pea processing facility in Strathmore is set to begin in the new year (bottom).

Ramping up: processing of Alberta crops gathers steam

Food, fibre and fuel facilities are coming on stream and that’s good news for producers

Reading Time: 5 minutes Ag-fuelled processing in Alberta – everything from hemp and pulses to renewable diesel – is gaining traction and opening new markets for producers. One of those is Canadian Rockies Hemp, which just opened the largest hemp fibre processing plant in North America at Bruderheim. The company’s products are used for textiles, building, pulp and paper […] Read more

File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta issues final crop report for year

Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type

MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half […] Read more


A man looks through piles of trash on a stream in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Oct. 13, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo)

Haiti gang blockade causing catastrophic hunger, U.N. says

Situation "close to breaking point," WFP rep says

Miami | Reuters — Haitians are experiencing catastrophic hunger because of gangsters blockading a major fuel terminal, U.N. officials said on Friday, with more than four million facing acute food insecurity. A coalition of gangs has prevented the distribution of diesel and gasoline for over a month to protest a plan to cut fuel subsidies. […] Read more

A nameplate outside the Canadian Grain Commission building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Farmers get week to dispute grain grade, dockage

Window widened following consultations

Prairie farmers who want to dispute a grain elevator’s call on their grain’s grade and dockage now officially have up to a week to do so. The Canadian Grain Commission on Oct. 3 announced amendments to the Canada Grain Regulations are now in effect allowing grain growers more time — seven calendar days, to be […] Read more


(Creativex/iStock/Getty Images)

Manitoba’s harvest 79 per cent complete, report says

Cereal harvest wrapped in most areas

MarketsFarm — Harvest operations across Manitoba were 79 per cent complete as of Tuesday, according to the latest crop report from the provincial agriculture department. That figure was up from 63 per cent the previous week, but two weeks off the five-year average of 89 per cent. Harvest progress was the most advanced in central […] Read more



File photo of a Conagra production facility at Oakdale, Calif., about 150 km east of San Francisco, on Dec, 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Fred Greaves)

Conagra tops profit, sales estimates even as consumers turn thrifty

Reuters — Conagra Brands beat quarterly sales and profit estimates on Thursday, boosted by higher prices for its Marie Callender’s and Slim Jim brands even as consumer demand wanes under the weight of decades-high inflation. Global food companies have been increasing prices over the past year to shield profit margins, which have been squeezed by […] Read more

Adult pea leaf weevil.

Tiny pea leaf weevil spreads across vast prairie landscape

The adults leave tell-tale signs but it’s their offspring that wreak havoc below ground

Reading Time: 4 minutes Pea leaf weevils have completed their eastward trek across the Prairies, and while they’re generally not a huge issue, pea and faba growers need to learn the habits of these hard-to-spot pests. Adult pea leaf weevils are tiny and were first found in Canada near Lethbridge in 2000. By 2019, they had crossed the Manitoba […] Read more


File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Saskatchewan’s pulse harvest seen as average

MarketsFarm — As the harvest in Saskatchewan wraps up for 2022, pulse specialist Dale Risula said pulse crops were quite good this year — a definite improvement over last year’s drought-stricken production. “Overall for the province we will likely see average production this year, although some areas suffered pretty badly,” Risula said. He said there […] Read more