Producer Patrick Kunz won’t be including much hay in his ration this winter.

Feed skyrockets in many areas — but there are options out there

Hay is uneconomical in some areas, forcing producers to either cull or find alternative feed sources

Reading Time: 5 minutes Record-setting temperatures in mid-August have added pressure to an already desperate situation for cattle producers across Alberta. “There are some people who are going to be really short on feed and pasture,” Alberta Beef Producers executive director Rich Smith said in mid-August. “Some people are in a really tough situation. The heat last week was […] Read more



The Official Grain Grading Guide is a complete reference for grading grains, oilseeds and pulses.

New grain standards now in effect

Changes to the grain grading guide as of Aug. 1

Reading Time: < 1 minute Changes to the Official Grain Grading Guide and variety designation lists are now in effect. That means individual official standard samples will be used to assess frost, heat stress, and mildew damage in western Canadian wheat. New variety designation lists also came into effect on Aug. 1 — 25 varieties of Canada Western Red Spring […] Read more



Hop growers Brent and Kari Tarasoff and brew master Marc Shields have seen incredible growth in their microbrewery over the past year — but the brewing business is not for the faint of heart.

Ponoka microbrewery eyes world domination

Reading Time: 5 minutes Kari and Brent Tarasoff had no intention of opening a brewery when they began growing hops in Penticton, B.C. four years ago. But their five-year plan got thrown out the window last year when they opened Siding 14 Brewing Company in Ponoka with two partners. And pretty soon, they’ll need to toss out their new […] Read more

Photo: File

Early harvest pressures Prairie barley prices

CNS Canada — Barley prices in Western Canada are falling as an early harvest is weighing on values. “Prices have moderated here,” said Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities Ltd. Lethbridge, Alta. The surprise rally from last week ended as quickly as it began. Prices which started last week at about C$250 per tonne were […] Read more


A barley field in France. (Anneke DeBlok/iStock/Getty Images)

France to the rescue as drought hits EU barley crop

Hamburg | Reuters — Drought has seriously damaged barley harvests in northern Europe, potentially tightening supplies of animal feed and malt for beer brewing, but a decent crop in France could save the day, experts said on Thursday. “There are painful crop losses in Germany, Poland, Britain and Scandinavia,” one German trader said. “The volume […] Read more




(Dave Bedard photo)

Canadian canola area likely above earlier projection

CNS Canada — Canadian farmers likely seeded more canola in 2018 than initial expectations, but industry participants generally expect to see only minor adjustments when Statistics Canada releases its latest acreage estimates on Friday. “Our idea is that the canola seeded area number is higher than initially reported,” said Jon Driedger of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. […] Read more