cover of a graphic novel

Canola the star in graphic novels for schoolkids

The 10th Chase Duffy book is about to hit the shelves 
and continue his adventures in learning about canola

Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers at the recent Alberta Canola Producers Commission meeting were welcomed by an entourage of cartoon characters on the stage. These characters are from the Chase Duffy book series, which was launched in 2010 and is aimed at elementary students aged eight to 11. The main character in the books is Chase ‘Superman’ Duffy, a […] Read more


U.S. buyer completes takeover of ag chem firm Arysta

U.S. industrial chemical producer Platform Specialty Products Corp. has sealed its deal to buy ag chemical firm Arysta LifeScience for about US$3.5 billion (C$4.35 billion). Miami-based, publicly-traded PSPC, which in the past year has bought ag chem firms Agriphar Group and Chemtura AgroSolutions, announced its plans to buy the Dublin-based multinational Arysta business last fall. […] Read more



Website to shine a light on grain prices

Website to shine a light on grain prices

Data updated on a daily basis for eight zones across the Prairies

Reading Time: 3 minutes Don’t know if your local elevator is offering a good price or not? There’s an app for that. Or at least there will be once www.pdqinfo.ca is fully up and running. The new website, created by the Alberta Wheat Commission with $743,000 in federal funding, aims to give farmers timely and accurate pricing data for […] Read more

unmanned aerial vehicle over a crop

Small farm ‘toys’ pack a mighty punch

Drones are getting off the ground in Alberta, in no small part thanks
to their practical applications on livestock and grain farms

Reading Time: 3 minutes Drones may seem like a fun toy — but on the farm, these fancy fliers mean business. “At the end of the day, you want better information to make better decisions, and that’s what they give you,” said Steve Myshak, owner of Ventus Geospatial in Lethbridge. “That’s the bottom line on why you want to […] Read more


(Versatile-Ag.ca)

Ag equipment maker Buhler cutting production, staff

Winnipeg farm equipment manufacturer Buhler Industries is reducing its workforce and paring back production ahead of an expected drop in farm incomes. The company, whose brands include Versatile tractors and Farm King implements, announced its first-quarter financials Friday for the period ending Dec. 31, booking net profit of $1.5 million on fourth-best quarterly revenue of […] Read more

(Bruce Fritz photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Optimism for Canada to plant 100K acres to sunflowers

CNS Canada — Wet weather may have cost western Canadian producers 20,000 acres of sunflowers last year, according to one industry watcher who’s hopeful 2015 will be a little kinder. “We were anticipating over 100,000 acres last year and as it turned out we came into that 80,000 range,” said Ben Friesen, purchasing manager for […] Read more