Reading Time: < 1 minute The province and Ottawa say the long-awaited broadband expansion for rural Alberta will see “shovels in the ground” when the construction season gets underway this spring. Ottawa is matching the province’s $150-million pledge to expand broadband in rural, remote and Indigenous communities in Alberta. The two governments have agreed to jointly “select and move forward […] Read more
High speed internet is finally on its way, say governments
Broadband projects to be announced soon, work to start in spring
Olds College, USask working together on ag-tech research
Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College is partnering up with the University of Saskatchewan on agricultural technology research. The two schools recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding “to collaborate in joint activities related to automation and increased incorporation of digital data in agriculture.” That will include a working relationship between Olds College’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production […] Read more
Claas sees more semiconductor chip snags in 2022
'It's going to be a tough next six months'
Paris | Reuters — Agricultural machinery maker Claas said Thursday it expects difficulties in securing semiconductor chips to persist for the first half of next year, which could curb a surge in profits linked to booming farm demand. An upturn in orders from farmers, who are benefiting from high crop prices after several lean years, […] Read more
Ambassador to China to leave post after helping free detainees
Canola, 5G access, other issues remain
Ottawa | Reuters –– Canada’s ambassador to China said on Monday he would soon leave his post after a two-year assignment where he helped secure the freedom of two Canadian detainees despite icy relations between Beijing and Ottawa. Dominic Barton’s departure, which will take effect Dec. 31, leaves a crucial diplomatic post open at a […] Read more
U.S. EPA to propose expanding credit eligibility under biofuel program
New York | Reuters — The Biden administration is expected to propose expanding the kinds of renewable fuel production processes that are eligible to receive credits under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard program, three sources familiar with the matter said. The move could help increase production of advanced biofuels, which include lower-carbon products such as […] Read more
CNH buys software house NX9 to bolster ag business
Milan | Reuters — CNH Industrial has bought software engineering firm NX9, it said on Thursday, in a further step to boost digital innovation in its agricultural division as it prepares to spin off its truck, bus and engine operations. U.S.-based NX9 is a small software house specializing in so-called ‘ISOBUS’ technology for agricultural equipment, […] Read more
India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in surprise win for protesters
Laws to be repealed in upcoming parliament session; protests to continue until then
Ghaziabad, India | Reuters — In a surprise announcement Friday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would repeal agriculture laws that farmers have been protesting against for more than a year, sparking celebrations for what farmers called a hard-fought victory. Modi’s decision is a significant climb-down for the combative leader and comes as state […] Read more
GM aims to tackle chip shortage with new designs
Chip-making investments to be in U.S., Canada
Reuters — General Motors aims to tackle the global semiconductor shortage with new designs built in North America, president Mark Reuss said on Thursday. Reuss told an investor conference GM is working with seven chip suppliers on three new families of microcontrollers that will reduce the number of unique chips by 95 per cent on […] Read more
THE NEW ENERGY BOOM: The sun is shining on Alberta’s solar industry
Every sector of Alberta’s solar energy industry is seeing strong demand — including from agriculture
Reading Time: 6 minutes Alberta may be oil and gas country, but right now, another natural resource is booming in the province — solar energy. “Alberta is by far the fastest-growing solar market in Canada right now,” said Nicholas Gall, director of distributed energy resources for the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. “Large corporate buyers — companies like Amazon, Budweiser, […] Read more
Precision ag tech takes centre stage at Lakeland College
Students of new degree program are excited about future careers in a revolutionary industry
Reading Time: 5 minutes Within the first week of being back on campus and starting the classes I knew this is where I wanted to be. I feel like I’ve learned more in the sixth week of being here than I have in the last six weeks of any other part of my education.” So said Courtney Wallace, a […] Read more