Reading Time: < 1 minute Farm Credit Canada (FCC) says it wants to help farm customers “who are facing financial setbacks due to circumstances beyond their control.” Michael Hoffort, the ag lender’s president and CEO, said FCC “will work with our customers to find solutions to any short-term financial pressure that might be weighing them down.” Many producers were unable […] Read more
Farm lender to help financially stressed farmers
Farm leaders say they understand the need for spending restraint
Province’s Ag Ministry will see deep cuts but Devin Dreeshen says the money can be found by finding efficiencies
Reading Time: 5 minutes It is the biggest cut in government spending since the days of Ralph Klein — but Alberta’s agriculture minister calls it ‘trimming’ and farm groups are not raising a hue and cry. “We’ve trimmed our spending this year by nine per cent by going through every program that we’ve had within the ministry to find […] Read more
New general manager for Alberta Milk
Reading Time: < 1 minute Freda Molenkamp-Oudman will be the new general manager of Alberta Milk. On Dec. 1, the former assistant deputy minister with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry will take over from Mike Southwood, who is retiring after 19 years with the organization. Molenkamp-Oudman has also been the general manager of the Alberta Agriculture Products Marketing Council, the oversight […] Read more
Dot Technology creates Edmonton branch
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dot Technology Corp. has established an Alberta subsidiary in Edmonton. Dot Intelligence Inc. will focus on developing leading-edge technologies — such as computer vision, machine learning optimization, and intelligent navigation — and enhancing adoption of the Dot robotic system for use in autonomous farming. Saskatchewan-headquartered Dot, a sister company of SeedMaster, is the maker of […] Read more
Digging into the cost of drying grain
Having enough drying capacity is critical in a year like this one, but it still helps to have a handle on the costs
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are a number of factors that determine the cost of drying grain. They include the type and size of the drying system, the amount of moisture to be removed, weather conditions during the drying period, and operating costs (fuel, electricity, repairs and maintenance, labour, shrinkage and hauling). “Knowing the costs of on-farm drying is […] Read more
Prairie cereals summit coming in December
Event takes place Dec. 11-12
Reading Time: < 1 minute The second annual Prairie Cereals Summit will take place Dec. 11-12, 2019 at the Banff Springs Hotel. The event, put on by Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat, will feature a presentation on international trade by former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day. As well, former CropLife CEO Ted Menzies will discuss the creation of an agricultural […] Read more
“Smart” ag school now accepting applications
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new school dedicated to agricultural tech is now open for business and accepting applications from students wanting to specialize in precision ag and other leading-edge technologies. “This is a historic day for Olds College,” said college president Stuart Cullum. “The launch of the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology is a profound statement of our […] Read more
Canadian beef exports surge in first half of 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian beef exports and cattle slaughter numbers were up and cull prices down in the first half of the year, says a provincial livestock market analyst. “Canadian beef exports for the January to July 2019 period are $1.841 billion, up 24 per cent by value from the same period in 2018,” said Jason Wood. “Export […] Read more
GrainsConnect Huxley grain terminal open for business
Reading Time: < 1 minute GrainsConnect Canada’s new grain terminal in Huxley is now open — the fourth new terminal built by the joint venture of Australia’s GrainCorp and Japan’s Zen-Noh Group. (Another is in Vegreville along with two in Saskatchewan.) At full operation, the terminal will load over 130 rail cars in under 14 hours. In a news release, […] Read more
One mighty big grain train rolls out of Alberta
With nearly 15,000 tonnes of grain on board, this train was like nothing seen before
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the years ahead, you may find yourself stuck at a rail crossing a little longer as a grain train rumbles by. And you might want to use that extra time to say thanks for modern technology. Paterson Grain recently set a new record when it loaded 147 new high-capacity hopper cars with a whopping […] Read more
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