A hemp plant in Alberta. (Jennifer Blair photo)

Cannabis’ cousin hemp entering new age too

CNS Canada — As cannabis basks in the glow of the first day of its legalized recreational sale, its close cousin hemp is coming through its own year of change. Ted Haney, executive director of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, said hemp growers are going through a year in which they are learning how to […] Read more

The Calgary Telus Convention Centre, north building. (Calgary-convention.com)

Farm Forum Event under new management

The company behind Canada’s two biggest outdoor farm shows is expanding to the great indoors as the new operator of another well known Canadian farm industry event. Glacier FarmMedia announced Monday it has acquired and will assume management of the Farm Forum Event, an annual professional development event for farmers, starting with its 20th anniversary […] Read more


It was a win-win-win year for kochia across much of the Prairies in 2018.

The stars (unfortunately) aligned for kochia this summer

This could be the year that triple-resistant kochia is confirmed in Alberta

Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers never really stood a chance against kochia this year. First, it was a dry year following a dry year, and kochia thrives in dry conditions. Then those dry conditions drew salts in the soil toward the surface — and kochia loves saline soils. And finally, those saline soils delayed emergence in kochia, so any […] Read more

(Aphria.ca)

Altria reported seeking stake in cannabis firm Aphria

Reuters — Marlboro maker Altria Group is in talks for a stake in Canadian cannabis producer Aphria Inc., the Globe and Mail reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources. The details of Richmond, Virginia-based Altria’s investment are still being finalized, though it has expressed interest in buying a minority stake in Aphria with the intention of […] Read more


(UrosPoteko/iStock/Getty Images)

Regulator finds cannabis company disclosures inadequate

Toronto | Reuters — A Canadian regulatory group said on Wednesday that it had found that the level and quality of disclosure by cannabis companies was insufficient. The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), which conducted a review of disclosure practices of 70 Canadian and U.S. cannabis producers, said some companies were inconsistent in complying with Canadian […] Read more

Plaintiff Dewayne Johnson listens as attorney Brent Wisner, not shown, speaks about his condition at trial in San Francisco on July 9, 2018. (File photo: Josh Edelson/Pool via Reuters)

Bayer likely to get new trial in glyphosate case

San Francisco | Reuters — Bayer’s Monsanto unit was likely to get a new trial on the US$250 million in punitive damages awarded by a jury to a groundskeeper who alleged the company’s glyphosate-based herbicides, including Roundup, caused his cancer. According to a Wednesday court filing in San Francisco’s Superior Court of California, Judge Suzanne […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Walmart Canada exploring possible sale of cannabis-based products

Reuters — Walmart’s Canadian unit said Tuesday it is exploring the possibility of selling cannabis-based products, but has no immediate plans to get into the business. Walmart is the first major retailer to show an interest in being a part of Canada’s burgeoning marijuana industry, as other big U.S. companies, mainly in the alcohol and […] Read more

Farmer examining young green corn maize crop plant in cultivated agricultural field

Building the foundation for a sensible food policy

We need to have strong and unbiased science to create approaches that are sensible and sustainable

Reading Time: 3 minutes Food prices are expected to stay low for the next decade or so, according to recent reports from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is good news to people who eat, which, of course, includes farmers. But it does remind us that farmers […] Read more


Zenabis’ CEO Rick Brar and chief growing officer Leo Benne in a Bevo facility at Langley, B.C. (CNW Group/Bevo Agro)

Vegetable seedling grower, cannabis grower to merge

A B.C. company that raises seedlings for greenhouse vegetable growers is set to devote its existing square footage to weed, following a takeover by a B.C. cannabis grower and processor. Langley-based, publicly-traded Bevo Agro on Thursday announced a reverse takeover deal with Surrey-based, privately-held cannabis firm Sun Pharm Investments, which will see Sun Pharm shareholders […] Read more

Accompanied by her grandson Spencer Boles (front row, far left), Judy Sweet (front row, second from the left) presents her donation to Josie Van Lent, dean of Lakeland’s School of Agricultural Sciences, and Geoff Brown, associate dean. In the rear (from left to right) are: Ethan Winsnes (sheep unit manager), Hannah Olsen (students’ association president), Brantley Wasmuth (crops assistant manager), Connor English (research unit manager), Jonathan Lange (dairy unit manager), Colton Nickipelo (general manager), Jarrett Hargrave (purebred beef unit manager), and Erica Horner (commercial beef unit manager).

Donation to aid Lakeland College farmland expansion

Reading Time: < 1 minute A $500,000 donation will allow Lakeland College to buy more land for its farm operations. The donation came from Judy Sweet, who had previously donated funds to modernize and expand the G.N. Sweet Livestock Research Facility, which officially opened two years ago. Sweet and her late husband, Garth Sweet, raised purebred simmental cattle for more […] Read more