New Delhi | Reuters — India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an indefinite stay on the implementation of new agricultural laws that have triggered widespread protest from farmers, saying it wanted to protect farmers and would hear their objections. For more than a month, tens of thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of […] Read more
India’s top court orders stay on farm laws that riled growers
Indian government, farmers fail to break deadlock on ag market laws
New Delhi | Reuters — The Indian government and representatives of protesting farmers failed to reach an agreement on contentious new agriculture laws on Friday and said they will meet again in a week’s time. Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi for over a month, […] Read more
Intercropping can be a win win for mixed operations
The practice comes with a learning curve, but can increase grazing options while boosting soil health
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is a lot of buzz in beef and forage production systems around the concepts of sustainability and soil health, and the numerous different production practices that can support those ideas. Intercropping is one strategy that can improve efficiency and soil health. Manitoba producer Alan MacKenzie considers intercropping to be two crops that are grown […] Read more
China building world’s largest seed bank
Larger facility a bid to boost food security
Beijing | Reuters — China will complete a new national crop germplasm bank this year, the agriculture minister said Wednesday, to boost the country’s capacity to develop new crop varieties and enhance food security. The bank has a designed capacity of 1.5 million copies, almost four times the existing one, and will be the world’s […] Read more
Alberta suffered the most hail damage on the Prairies this year
Reading Time: < 1 minute This year was below the five-year average for hail claims for Prairie farmers but saw higher-than-average claim payments. Overall, the industry will record a near break-even type of year. Claims produced insurance payouts of over $192 million on more than 12,100 claims in Western Canada. Producer premiums totalled just over $300 million for an industry […] Read more
Biden transition team holds talks with biofuel groups -sources
New York | Reuters – U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has held calls with biofuel groups on topics including compliance with U.S. biofuel blending laws and Biden’s low-carbon climate vision, according to two sources familiar with the conversations. The discussions with biofuel trade groups as well as POET, a top company in the cellulosic […] Read more
Court approves Morris Industries’ sale to Rite Way
Yorkton plant, not included in deal, to close
Seeding equipment manufacturer Morris Industries has been approved for sale to another Saskatchewan manufacturer — minus its Yorkton manufacturing plant, which is not part of the sale and is now expected to close by year’s end. Judge Shawn Smith of Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon on Friday approved the sale of Morris to a […] Read more
Ban on food aid restrictions blocked at WTO
WTO says outcome 'disappointing' in difficult year
Geneva | Reuters — World Trade Organization members were at odds on Friday over a proposal that would ban countries from restricting food aid deliveries, potentially complicating the response to a feared COVID-fuelled humanitarian catastrophe next year. The proposal was one of two related to the pandemic that failed to make headway at a three-day […] Read more
Coffee, Cows & Crops podcasts launched
Reading Time: < 1 minute Peace Country Beef and Forage Association is creating podcasts to “share ideas supported by sound science and practical wisdom.” The Coffee, Cows & Crops podcasts can be found at peacecountrybeef.ca. One is on continuous cropping and adaptive management in which Jay Byer (soil conservation analyst, Gateway Research Organization) talks about management systems on marginal land. […] Read more
People growing too much pot at home, Health Canada warns
Pressure on to prevent abuse of home-grow program
Reuters — Health Canada on Thursday raised concerns about the large quantity of medical marijuana people were growing at home, after its data showed a significant jump in daily average production permitted by health care practitioners. While the practitioners can allow registered patients to grow a limited amount at home for personal use, the regulator’s […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
