Reading Time: < 1 minute Farm Credit Canada is forecasting much higher cattle prices this year. The lender predicts hundred-weight prices for 550-pound steers will average $270 (versus $225 last year) and $225 for 850-lb. steers (versus $185 in 2022). “The robust prices will be a big reason margins in the cow-calf sector are forecast to be strong in 2023 […] Read more
Farm Credit Canada forecasts cattle prices to strengthen
Survey on keeping wheat midge at bay
Reading Time: < 1 minute Wheat growers are being asked to fill out an online survey on their use of midge-tolerant wheat. The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (an alliance of the three Prairie wheat commissions) operates the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Program. It’s estimated that midge-tolerant wheat has saved farmers more than $3 billion in yield losses and grade dockage […] Read more
FCC says high costs favour more wheat acres in 2023
Reading Time: < 1 minute High prices for fertilizer and chemicals will push up wheat acres and lower canola and corn plantings this year, Farm Credit Canada says in its latest outlook for crop inputs. Overall acreage for wheat will jump 7.3 per cent as farmers turn to “less-input-intensive crops,” the lender forecasts. It predicts both canola and corn acres […] Read more
Now’s the time for a second look a cattle price insurance, says expert
Livestock Price Insurance and AgriStability make sense to enter when cattle prices are up
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Livestock Price Insurance has never looked better for cattle producers, says a farm management specialist. Cattle prices have risen steadily over the past 12 months and are approaching the highs seen in 2014 and 2015, said Ben Hamm, an official with Manitoba Agriculture. “We saw some significant profitability in 2014-2015,” Hamm said […] Read more
Cash advance window for farmers now open
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers can now apply for cash advances for the 2023 growing season. Producers can get up to $1 million with the first $250,000 interest-free. The latter is worth more this year because interest rates are so much higher, note administrators of the Advance Payments Program. “With rising interest rates, the savings a farmer can realize […] Read more
It’s tax credit season again
Reading Time: < 1 minute With tax season looming, producers are being reminded that they are eligible for a tax credit if they paid a checkoff for an organization that funds research. For example, the tax credit rate for canola producers for 2022 is 20.93 per cent (meaning a checkoff total of $1,000 generates a tax credit of $209.30). The […] Read more
New training for feedlot workers
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association has created a series of training videos for feedlot employees. The short videos, made by feedlot veterinarian Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed, are meant to supplement training provided by herd health veterinarians and nutritionists. “Without well-trained and competent feedlot processors and pen riders, it is hard to effectively manage animal health […] Read more
Nature Conservancy adds wildlife corridor
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Nature Conservancy of Canada has purchased two parcels of land next to Waterton Lakes National Park that it says will serve as a key wildlife corridor. Although the 630-acre purchase “may seem like a relatively small addition … it will result in a large benefit for nature,” the organization said. The properties, located just […] Read more
Bird flu prompts AgriStability invite
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta poultry producers have until the end of February to sign up for the 2002 edition of AgriStability. The deadline for the income stabilization program was extended because of avian influenza outbreaks, the provincial government said. There have been 60 operations (commercial and non-commercial) in the province infected, with 1.4 million domesticated birds “impacted.” Many […] Read more
A seed show more than a century in the making
Two dozen classes of seeds on display at North American Seed Fair
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s the new and shiny equipment that gets the lion’s share of attention, but the other part of the Ag-Expo and North American Seed Fair is worth a look, too. This year’s edition of the seed fair is the 126th, making it one of the oldest such fairs in Western Canada. “It’s the oldest ribboning […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
