Reading Time: 4 minutes Some Alberta producers could become former pulse growers next year if the markets don’t turn around soon. “It’s the third year in a row that they’ve been at the bottom of the net income,” said Josh Fankhauser, who farms near Claresholm. “The math just doesn’t work.” Yellow peas have been part of Fankhauser’s rotation for […] Read more
Producers may not give peas a chance next year
Lentil acreage may also decline as India’s tariffs and tough growing conditions take a toll
European trade deal still a work in progress
Sales to Europe haven’t increased since trade deal was signed and durum exports are down sharply
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s been two years since Canada struck a much-heralded trade deal with Europe — but so far, it’s produced meagre results. And when it comes to grain exports, things have actually gone backwards. “Italy has brought in country-of-origin labelling on pasta to identify Canadian durum and ensure that it’s not used in making pasta,” said […] Read more
Growing projects are a great way to reach out to millennials
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mikaela Lemay didn’t just want to help people in developing countries when she got involved with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. She wanted to help Canadian consumers too. “So much of the fear of agriculture is emotion based, so I thought it would be good to counteract that with positivity,” said the three Hills-area agronomist. “By […] Read more
Another blow for Canada’s dairy industry
Dairy farmers frustrated and disappointed but other farm sectors welcome the NAFTA replacement
Reading Time: 5 minutes Many Canadians breathed a collective sigh of relief when Canada, the U.S., and Mexico agreed to a new trade agreement at the end of September. But for the country’s dairy industry, this proposed deal is just another in a series of blows that is slowly but surely bleeding the industry dry. “This is definitely death […] Read more
Grain marketing plans come with a learning curve
Forward contracting is a good way to get started, and a solid plan is needed to lower risk
Reading Time: 2 minutes Marketing your grain and using your drone have more in common than you might think. “No one just buys a drone, flips the switch, and away it goes. You’ve got to figure out how it works and how it’s going to work for you,” said David Derwin, an investment adviser at PI Financial. “It’s the […] Read more
It’s not just a man’s world in the ag business sector anymore
Times have changed, and now training and access to capital for women entrepreneurs are catching up
Reading Time: 5 minutes Running a farm. Volunteering. Managing one business. Starting another. Raising a young child while pregnant with her second. Kristen Ritson-Bennett had a lot on her plate as she worked her way through the Success for Women in Agri-Food program over the past two years. “I don’t necessarily believe in work-life balance. I just don’t see […] Read more
New Dutch ‘theme park’ aims to connect consumers with their food
The World Food Center will connect the entire value chain to share in the experience of food
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a spark of life at an abandoned military base in the heart of the Netherlands’ Food Valley. You see it everywhere you look — in the students living in the dorms and working on the grounds; in the sports hall-turned-dining centre; in the modern offices now housed in the main building. But it’s only […] Read more
Canada’s short line equipment makers on the cutting edge
These smaller manufacturers exported $1.8 billion of equipment and implements last year
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re frustrated that the big names in equipment manufacturing aren’t rolling out autonomous systems quickly enough, you may want to look a little closer to home. “With the clock ticking on when we’ll see autonomous farming become a commercial reality, my hope is that we’ll see Canadian manufacturers lead the way there,” said Leah […] Read more
Those who serve make a difference — for you and other farmers
Serving on a farm group’s board won’t earn you a medal, but the work benefits the ag sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes For Allison and Mike Ammeter, being a farmer goes far beyond actual farm work. “Farming is a whole lot more than putting seed in the ground and harvesting it,” said Allison Ammeter, who farms alongside her husband near Sylvan Lake. “A lot of it is looking at the really big picture — provincially, nationally, and […] Read more
Don’t bug out: Giant fly larvae factory is coming to Alberta
High-protein insect meal is an easy — and sustainable — way to feed livestock
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s an unassuming factory in Langley, B.C., where thousands of tonnes of premium protein are being produced every year using neither land nor water. Welcome to the world’s largest insect farm — and the future of food. Or, at least, the future of feed. And that future is coming to Alberta next year, when Enterra […] Read more
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