MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more
Prairie dryness concerns to persist
Soil degradation the forgotten issue
Reducing tillage and summerfallow hasn’t fixed a problem that is costing farmers billions every year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Soil degradation in Canada is causing a huge economic loss — but few people are paying attention. That includes farmers, even though degraded soil is significantly reducing their yields, according to University of Manitoba soil scientist David Lobb. “Soil erosion accounts for a loss of about 10 per cent,” he said. “Farmers are only getting […] Read more
Underwear campaign fun with a serious purpose
The goal is to promote awareness that soils are living, breathing entities — and need protection
Reading Time: 2 minutes It seems like just a fun, even silly, thing to do — bury a pair of underwear made of white cotton, and then dig them up a couple of months later to see what soil microbes have done to them. But the Soil Your Undies campaign has a very serious purpose: To show people that […] Read more
‘Show’ and ‘grow’ synonymous for Ag in Motion
Langham, Sask. — Living up to its name, Glacier FarmMedia’s Ag in Motion has reached its five-year anniversary with no sign of slowing down. “It’s very exciting for me personally to have a show that the group of us started from a canola field into an event that’s now grown to the size that it […] Read more
New Mexican duties against U.S. ready soon, minister says
Toronto | Reuters — Mexico is finalizing duties to impose on new U.S. products in retaliation for the Trump administration’s steel and aluminum tariffs and details should be available soon, Economy Minister Graciela Marquez said on Tuesday. Mexico and Canada have both imposed retaliatory measures on billions of dollars of U.S. goods. Mexico said in […] Read more
Bernie Sanders promises help for family farms
Reuters — U.S. presidential contender Bernie Sanders unveiled a plan on Sunday to help family farmers and rural residents, promising to break up corporate agricultural monopolies and invest heavily in social and economic programs in struggling rural communities. Sanders, an independent U.S. senator and fierce corporate critic, said on a campaign trip to Iowa that […] Read more
North Korea faces food crisis after poor harvest, UN says
Geneva | Reuters — Four in 10 North Koreans are chronically short of food and further cuts to already minimal rations are expected after the worst harvest in a decade, the United Nations said on Friday. Official rations are down to 300 grams (10.6 ounces) per person per day, the lowest ever for this time […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus could consider selling stake to regional player
Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co., one of the world’s biggest agricultural commodities houses, may consider selling a stake to a regional player to support its development although there are no specific plans to do so, the company said Friday. Agricultural commodities traders have been grappling with lower profits from sourcing and shipping commodities […] Read more
Climate change has U.S. fund managers adjusting agriculture investments
New York | Reuters — After historic floods devastated Midwestern agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how climate change will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers say, they are struggling […] Read more
Precision agriculture means less is more for irrigators
Technology has boosted yields while cutting both water use and inputs, says University of Lethbridge survey
Reading Time: 3 minutes Very few studies have examined precision agriculture in Canada, but a new one from University of Lethbridge researchers has put some numbers on the benefits. And they’re big — both in terms of reducing inputs and in boosting yields. Last fall, economists Lorraine Nicol and Chris Nicol surveyed irrigators in the Taber Irrigation District and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
