Reading Time: 2 minutes Eighteen Alberta charities and non-profits will receive $2,500 grants from the Monsanto Fund as part of the 2016 Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program. Each non-profit was nominated by a local farmer who applied on behalf of their favourite cause. The program received more than 500 entries this year and 66 groups were chosen by a […] Read more
Farmers help 18 Alberta groups win $2,500 grant
Some landowners wrongly billed for power
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) is warning landowners to watch their electricity bills if they have surface leases with insolvent companies. EPCOR has collected payment from landowners for providing three-phase electric power to a surface lease after an oil and gas company became insolvent. The company relied on a clause in its service agreement where […] Read more
Green jobs in agriculture eligible for wage subsidy
Protecting and restoring ecosystems, reducing energy use, producing organic products and limiting greenhouse gases qualify for the program
Reading Time: < 1 minute Employers in the ag sector with an environmental focus are being urged to consider a program that subsidizes the salaries of new graduates by up to $13,500 per year. “Agriculture is a natural fit for this green jobs initiative,” says Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. “Canada’s primary producers are […] Read more
Will it be a typical La Niña winter on the Prairies this year?
La Niña usually brings more snow and colder temperatures, but some forecasts are painting a different picture for this year
Reading Time: 3 minutes After nearly 11 months of global record-setting temperatures, North America has had its turn seeing the warmest weather on the planet — at least when compared to average. I’ll have to admit: It really bugs me when people use the infamous line, “Where is global warming now?” every time temperatures in their region are colder […] Read more
Learning how to get more done faster
Reading Time: < 1 minute Interested in learning how to save time and money while increasing productivity and profitability? If so, the Closing the Gap: Creating a More Profitable Business workshop may be what you need. Attendees get two full-day workshops (on topics such as how to incorporate the latest technology and create a culture of continuous improvement), a one-day […] Read more
Alberta producers aren’t sold on sustainability certification programs
Only 30 per cent of farmers believe sustainability certification will be part of doing business in the next five years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta producers don’t know much about sustainability certification programs — but they don’t think it matters much anyway. Those were the key findings of a survey of 400 Alberta producers who were asked about sustainability practices on their farms. While producers are making headway on adopting sustainable production practices, they’re not yet sold on the […] Read more
Looking for foreign workers? Express Entry program has 60,000 of them
The website has profiles of more than 60,000 foreign workers who qualify for permanent residency
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this day and age, finding skilled foreign workers is a little like Internet dating. “Jobbank.gc.ca is the best way to find foreign workers,” said Dean Jorgenson, employer liaison officer with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. “You’re given an opportunity to essentially fish from the Express Entry pool, as well as other job seekers who […] Read more
Record crops to send grain stocks to all-time peak, IGC says
London | Reuters –– Global grain stocks are expected to surpass 500 million tonnes for the first time at the end of the 2016-17 season, the International Grains Council said on Thursday, raising its forecasts for both corn and wheat production. The intergovernmental body, in a monthly update, put total grain carryover stocks at the […] Read more
PMRA seeks phase-out for neonic pesticide imidacloprid
Canadian farm use of the pesticide imidacloprid, from the controversial neonicotinoid family, is facing a three- to five-year phase-out from approval over its potential risks to aquatic insects. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on Wednesday announced it had completed a re-evaluation of the pesticide and has kicked off a 90-day public consultation period, […] Read more
PotashCorp to cut jobs, output as prices sag
Reuters — Fertilizer maker PotashCorp said Wednesday it was reducing jobs and output at one Saskatchewan mine and temporarily curtailing production at two others as the sector struggles with weak prices. The company said it would cut production at its Cory potash mine, just west of Saskatoon, to 800,000 million tonnes a year from 1.4 […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
