Reading Time: < 1 minute The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop youth from across the province from standing up and speaking loud and clear about agriculture. The 2020 Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture event moved to a digital format this year after the pandemic cancelled the Calgary Stampede, where it is usually held. It presented a tough challenge for the […] Read more
Pandemic doesn’t curb passion of young speakers
Online cattle sales on the rise, but live auctions not going anywhere
Internet auctions were key at the start of pandemic but live sales are only down slightly
Reading Time: 3 minutes The pandemic has boosted the use of online auctions but selling cattle the old-fashioned way isn’t about to disappear, says a veteran auctioneer. “Sales at the auction market are down slightly but not a lot,” said Jason Danard, vice-president of Strathmore-based Calgary Stockyards and head of its online division, The Electronic Auction Market, which is […] Read more
Battered pork sector proposes ‘simple solution’ to trigger aid
Upping the payout from AgriStability would throw a lifeline to hog producers facing ruin, says pork council
Reading Time: 3 minutes With pork producers fighting to stay afloat but government unwilling to step in, industry leaders have come up with a new pitch: Instead of making it easier to get assistance, have AgriStability pay out more when things are really bad. In a recent letter to the country’s ag ministers, Canadian Pork Council chair Rick Bergmann […] Read more
COVID-19 means harvest will be ‘especially challenging’
You need all hands on deck, but what if someone shows symptoms of a cold or flu?
Reading Time: 4 minutes This year’s harvest is not going to be a normal one — and farmers and their families need to make adjustments accordingly, says the executive director of AgSafe Alberta. “It’s a significant challenge on farms because we’re looking at a cropping season that could last from now until November, so we have to manage people […] Read more
Saskatchewan extends WLPIP premium rebate if needed
Rebate to offset premium prices, if above pre-COVID levels
Saskatchewan’s temporary subsidy against price jumps in premiums for the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP) will continue when needed to the end of 2020. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC), which administers the program in that province, announced Tuesday the WLPIP premium rebate is extended to Dec. 31, from its previous end date of Sept. […] Read more
Hog farmers face prolonged pain as pandemic gives way to glut
Canadian Pork Council takes new tack on AgriStability reform
Winnipeg | Reuters — North America’s hog farmers face prolonged pain beyond the COVID-19 pandemic that has interrupted packing plants , as a pig glut in the U.S. holds prices low and pressures producers to downsize. Many North American hogs had nowhere to go in spring as slaughter plants suspended production due to workers becoming […] Read more
This harvest, take a bit of time to do things differently
Instead of the usual go-go-go approach, think about how we can all learn to use time more wisely
Reading Time: 3 minutes I watched in horror a video on social media in which a farmer wrapped his preteen son in bale wrap. The child was in the machine! Later that week I coaxed an elderly man holding his electric saw down off a 25-foot extension ladder. At a lavender farm, I encouraged the owner to stop giving […] Read more
If you call them watering troughs, you don’t live in Toronto
Stock tank 'pools' have been a hit during the pandemic for housebound urbanites with tiny backyards
Stock tank ‘pools’ have been a hit during the pandemic for housebound urbanites with tiny backyards
Reading Time: 3 minutes You might think of a stock tank as a way to get water to your thirsty cattle or horses. But these days, city dwellers are seeing watering troughs in a whole new light — stylish little pools that fit into even tiny urban backyards. And they’ve proven to be a pandemic hit, said Jaclyn Kelly, […] Read more
Syngenta says IPO ‘on track’
Ag chem firm books higher first-half profit
Zurich | Reuters — Agricultural chemical maker Syngenta posted higher first-half profit and sales on Thursday, helped by maintaining supplies to farmers and controlling costs during the coronavirus outbreak, and said it was on track to complete its public listing by mid-2022. The Swiss company, bought by state-owned ChemChina for $43 billion in 2017, posted […] Read more
Pandemic speeding up adoption of technology
Online ordering and virtual contracts commonplace, traceability and autonomous machines getting new push
Reading Time: 5 minutes Like it or not, the farm of the future will run on technology — and that future has become ever closer because of COVID-19. “It’s been a pretty big disruption for a lot of businesses,” said Wes Anderson, senior fertility specialist at CropPro Consulting. “It has forced a lot of our clients to use technology […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
