Reading Time: 5 minutes The grain market bears are out in full force, but while times are challenging, there are ways to manage through the latest downward cycle, say four Alberta farm leaders. “In 1980 — 35 years ago — I was selling spring wheat for $6 a bushel,” said Gary Stanford, president of the Grain Growers of Canada. […] Read more
Business strategies for a down market
The bears are out, but here are some ways to manage through a time of tight margins and high risks
Pressure and cattle positioning promote flow in handling systems
These simple changes to cattle-handling facilities can improve flow and reduce stress in the animals
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to build a cattle-handling facility with good flow, you’ve got to get back “to the very basics” of cattle handling. “If you don’t understand the cattle to start with, you can’t ever build a facility that’s going to be 100 per cent foolproof,” said Jack Nester of Nester Livestock Equipment. Good flow […] Read more
A Liberal ‘fix’ for temporary foreign worker program may be elusive
New government’s pledge to help beleaguered meat processors will be a tough sell
Reading Time: 3 minutes The new Liberal government has vowed to fix the broken federal temporary foreign worker program for Canada’s beleaguered meat processors — but that may not be enough. Despite “endless” domestic recruitment and a seven per cent unemployment rate in Canada, the country’s meat industry is still short about 1,000 workers. And the situation “just gets […] Read more
Foreign worker program a paperwork jungle
The temporary foreign worker program can be tough for farmers to navigate without help
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want to hire temporary foreign workers for your agricultural operation, get ready to do some serious paperwork. The “most challenging component” of the program is something called a labour market impact assessment, immigration consultant Martine Varekamp-Bos said at the recent Ag Labour Summit. The intent of the program, managed by Service Canada, is […] Read more
New canola variety a milestone in the battle against clubroot
Double resistance a big step forward, but clubroot strains are quickly multiplying
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new canola variety resistant to multiple strains of clubroot will hit the market in time for spring seeding. But the new variety from Crop Production Services will only be available in limited quantities and a clubroot expert says growers can’t expect it to be “a saviour.” CPS Canada says the variety, Proven Seed PV […] Read more
Cattle carcass contamination increasing
The incidence of broken needles is up tenfold, and 100,000 pounds of beef are thrown out yearly because of buckshot contamination
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumer confidence in Canadian beef is being eroded by a preventable problem — carcasses contaminated with needles, buckshot, and drug residues. “We want to make sure that all the cattle we’re producing — calves and cull cattle together — are going to be able to have a steak or roast off them without somebody either […] Read more
The perfect cow: Two different approaches to getting the best genetics
At CL Ranch, it’s all about breeding for observable traits, but genomics is the foundation for Rocky Mountain Holsteins
Reading Time: 4 minutes You won’t find a single Angus cow in Cherie Copithorne-Barnes’ herd. But then again, you won’t find any other specific breeds either. “One of the philosophies that we have here at CL Ranch is we’re not breed specific — we’re trait specific,” said Copithorne-Barnes, CEO of the 23,000-acre ranch near Calgary. “We are synthetic cross-breeders, […] Read more
The ever-present danger on our farms and ranches
A mother and two experts talk about the need to do more when it comes to farm safety
Reading Time: 5 minutes Peter Friesen knew something was wrong as soon as the auger stalled. His warning to his five-year-old son Ernie to stay back and “not come any closer than this,” had gone unheeded. The boy had been running around with a dog nearby, and Peter had warned him to stay back, to “not come any closer […] Read more
Tools for making your farm a safer place
There are many free resources, including fact sheets, videos, training programs, and materials designed especially for children
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are a host of educational materials on safety available for farm families. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association was created in 1993 to promote farm safety and its vision is “a country where no one is hurt farming.” Its website has dozens of fact sheets that are broken down by topics. Among the 17 topics […] Read more
Community and country rally to help farm family
There’s been an outpouring of condolences and trust fund contributions
Reading Time: 3 minutes The deaths of three young sisters in a farm accident earlier this month has brought an outpouring of support. The tragic deaths of Catie Bott, age 13, and her twin sisters Dara and Jana, both 11, has had a “far-reaching impact” on people both near and far, said Pastor Brian Allan, a close family friend […] Read more
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