Reuters –– Saudi Arabia’s Almarai, the largest dairy company in the Gulf, has spent C$45 million to buy land in California to supply its business with alfalfa hay, it said Sunday. The 1,790 acres of land at Blythe — in the state’s southeast corner, about 200 km east of Palm Springs — was acquired through […] Read more
Saudi dairy firm buying California land for fodder
Salford buys tillage equipment maker AerWay
Southwestern Ontario vertical tillage and pasture equipment maker AerWay has become part of another well-known Ontario ag equipment manufacturer. Salford Group announced in December it has bought the AerWay advanced aeration products line from the Canadian trailer systems arm of German truck, bus and trailer axle and suspension manufacturer SAF-Holland. AerWay, which operates a manufacturing […] Read more
Funding awarded for forage research projects
Reading Time: < 1 minute Seven projects were awarded funding through Alberta Beef Producers’ $1-million forage research call. They include breeding projects focused on forage wheat, hybrid brome with improved neutral detergent fibre digestibility, and production of oil in the vegetative tissues of legumes. Other projects are quantification of varietal and species differences (variety evaluation trials in multiple soil zones; […] Read more
Hay producers see increased competition, lower prices
CNS Canada — Canada’s export hay prices have come down from summer highs and now sit at less than half their previous levels, but despite competition from other growing regions, a weak loonie is helping Canadian producers. South Africa, Eastern Europe and Argentina have increased their alfalfa production, said Edward J. Shaw, director of market […] Read more
Boosting the bottom line through better pasture management
It’s about more sunlight, rain, and forage types — and never overgrazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes If farming these days is all about managing inputs, then grazing comes down to managing the land itself — the sunlight, water, minerals, and biodiversity that make pasture lands grow. “We can’t control the price of oil; we can’t control the cost of steel for making farming equipment; but we can manage and control these […] Read more
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
Hay! Guess who’s hiring a forage researcher?
New forage research job at Beaverlodge is a pleasant surprise after years of funding cutbacks
Reading Time: 4 minutes The forage industry has been asking for more researchers for a long time and finally, it seems the federal government has listened. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada recently issued a job posting for a forage researcher at its Beaverlodge research farm. It’s a term job — running until 2018 — but a step in the right […] Read more
Feed: Frost pressures Australian barley
CNS Canada –– Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Tuesday, Oct. 20. • The Grains Industry of Western Australia is predicting the area will harvest a 3.19 million-tonne barley crop in 2015-16. However, some recent frosts are casting questions on whether that mark will be reached. • […] Read more
Feed: El Nino pressures barley crop down under
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Monday, Oct. 19. • CBOT corn futures were down by two to three cents per bushel at midday Monday, as harvest pressure in the U.S. and improving corn conditions in the Black Sea region weighed on prices. • […] Read more
Hay prices stabilize in Sask., Man.
CNS Canada –– Timely rains have drastically improved the forage crop outlooks for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while also putting prices back into their normal ranges. “Skyrocketing hay prices have stabilized… supplies are good,” said Terry Kowalchuk, a provincial forage crop specialist in Regina. Prices are mostly back down into the $80-$100 per tonne range, he […] Read more
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