Operators of the Canadian Dairy Xpo (CDX) say they plan to double the size of the Stratford, Ont. trade show for 2014, following their inaugural event in February. With co-operation from city officials, the 2014 CDX will take on the entire Stratford Rotary Complex, including both hockey rinks, organizers said in a release. A potential […] Read more
Major Ont. dairy expo plans to upsize in 2014
B.C. greenhouse growers get permanent carbon tax break
British Columbia’s greenhouse growers will now get a permanent exemption from the bulk of the province’s carbon tax on their natural gas and propane use — with a similar break expected to follow for farm fuels. Telegraphed in the provincial budget in February, the new exemption announced Tuesday will come in the form of grants […] Read more
Satellite’s crop monitoring days may be over
Agricultural users of Canada’s first Earth observation satellite won’t be getting new data from the unit in the near future. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced Tuesday that RADARSAT-1 has entered into “safe mode,” a semi-dormant state to conserve energy, after it “experienced a technical anomaly” on March 29. Entering safe mode buys the CSA’s […] Read more
Third Sask. field joins clubroot club
Saskatchewan’s canola growers have been warned to seed with care as a canola field in west-central Saskatchewan has been confirmed as the third in the province to have clubroot. SaskCanola, the province’s canola development commission, announced Tuesday it had received confirmation from the provincial ag ministry of the new finding, discovered during an annual survey […] Read more
Recycling fees pumped into Ont. farm tires
Ontario farmers fear slow leaks of thousands of dollars each year as the province’s tire stewardship program moves to a cost-recovery model for the recycling fees levied on agricultural and other off-road tires. Ontario Tire Stewardship’s (OTS) executive director Andrew Horsman last month announced changes to the organization’s used tires program would kick in effective […] Read more
Extra teeth demanded for rail service bill
What they describe as the worst rail service in three years has prompted shippers to propose amendments to toughen the federal government’s proposed Fair Rail Freight Service Act. A coalition of shippers laid out proposals Friday for new amendments to the Act, now proposed in federal Bill C-52, in a bid to help balance their […] Read more
Pearce: Level of on-farm investment favours large Canadian farms
The large keep getting larger, and they keep investing more, as well. That’s the one-sentence summary from a new study from the Ivey School of Business Agri-food Innovation Centre. The study, Investment and Growth on Canadian Farms 2001-2009, has determined that Canadian farms saw total investments increase by more than $3 billion during the height […] Read more
HayEast gets Ont. funding through May
Organizers of the HayEast drive to run feed from Western Canada to ranchers in parched areas of Ontario and Quebec have picked up six-figure provincial support which they say will see the program through to June 1. HayEast 2012, a partnership involving farm organizations across Canada and the Winnipeg-based Mennonite Disaster Service, was set up […] Read more
Cargill cleared to muffle Vancouver grain terminal
Port Metro Vancouver has granted Cargill the go-ahead on a project it hopes will dial down the noise outside the company’s grain terminal on Vancouver’s North Shore. The company said Tuesday it has received its project permits from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) to set up four sound-absorbing barriers on the trackshed rooftops on […] Read more
Spring load limits to slow grain movement on Prairie roads
Spring road bans are starting to be put into place across Western Canada as temperatures warm up in the Prairie provinces. The annual restrictions set axle weight limits for vehicles moving on certain roads in an effort to reduce the damage heavier loads can cause during the spring thaw period. Movements of grain and farm […] Read more
