While people age 55 and over still make up the fastest-growing segment of farmers in Canada, the latest Census of Agriculture shows slightly more producers under age 35 for the first time in five censuses. Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census of Agriculture, released Wednesday, counted 271,935 farm operators — that is, people who make management decisions […] Read more
Ag census logs more younger and female farm operators
Finding the weak spots in used sprayers
Whether you’re looking at buying a used sprayer or handling maintenance on your own machine, knowing where to look for common problems will speed up the inspection process and help ensure you’re not surprised with a big repair bill later on, along with unexpected downtime. So where do you start looking for trouble? To find[...]
Read more
Read more
Farm, ranch work still exempt from Alberta helmet rule
Farm and/or ranch work remain exempt in the final version of Alberta’s new law requiring off-highway vehicle users to wear helmets while riding on public land. Provincial Bill 36, which passed in December, takes effect May 15, requiring an approved helmet for anyone “driving, operating, riding in or on, or being towed by” an off-highway[...]
Read more
Read more
Monsanto halts sale of Precision Planting arm to Deere
Monsanto subsidiary The Climate Corp. has cancelled a deal to sell its Precision Planting business to Deere and Co., citing the months-long court fight against it. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in August last year to block the proposed US$190 million deal, alleging the deal would lead to higher prices for high-speed precision[...]
Read more
Read more
Grain handle helps CN to record first-quarter volume
Canadian National Railway reports moving more Prairie grain in its first quarter than at the same time last year, despite “more demanding winter conditions” compared to 2016. Montreal-based CN on Monday reported net earnings of $884 million on overall revenues of $3.206 billion for the quarter ending March 31 (Q1), up from $792 million on[...]
Read more
Read more
Prairie grain freight cost index to rise with fuel prices
An “expected sharp rise” in fuel costs in 2017 compared to 2016 may help raise the cap on how much money Canada’s big two railways can charge to move Prairie grain in 2017-18. The Canadian Transportation Agency — the tribunal which, among its other duties, sets the annual maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) on Prairie grain[...]
Read more
Read more
Ontario budget seeks tax flexibility for on-farm processing
The Ontario government has balanced its budget for the first time in since 2008 — but Thursday’s budget contained little news for agriculture and rural Ontario. Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s budget mostly highlighted agriculture programs that had already been announced, and maintains $100 million in funding for the provincial Risk Management Program, which helps offsets[...]
Read more
Read more
Morris Industries gets $3.4 million for manufacturing, innovation
Morris Industries in Morris, Man. is receiving more than $3.4 million from the Western Economic Diversification Canada’s (WD) Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative, to commercialize an advanced manufacturing process and create new farm equipment products. The funding support will be a co-investment with Morris to accelerate implementation of new manufacturing technology that will incorporate advanced features[...]
Read more
Read more
Lack of maintenance could bite you hard this seeding season
Breakdowns hurt even more during a narrow seeding window — here’s some advice on last-minute servicing
Reading Time: 4 minutes Efficiency is likely to be more important this seeding season than ever for many Alberta farmers. To squeeze as many acres into the tight seeding window as possible, the temptation is to jack up travel speed and many wonder if they should invest in higher-tech equipment. Those farmers will be looking in the wrong direction[...]
Read more
Read more
Grain revenue, grain handle higher in CP’s Q1
Increased grain and potash traffic and revenue helped Canadian Pacific Railway book a shift to “positive volumes” in its first-quarter ledger. Calgary-based CP on Wednesday reported net income of $431 million on revenues of $1.603 billion for its quarter ending March 31, down from $540 million on $1.591 billion in the year-earlier period. “We turned[...]
Read more
Read more
