Oslo | Reuters — Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara said on Monday it will wind down purchases of potash from Belarus by April 1 as international sanctions made it impossible to continue the trade. Yara estimates that it buys 10-15 per cent of the annual output of state-owned Belaruskali, one of the world’s largest producers of […] Read more
Yara to stop buying potash from Belarus due to sanctions
Fertilizer firm buys 10-15 per cent of country's potash output
La Niña introduces itself with Prairie cold snap
MarketsFarm — The frigid conditions which had enveloped the Prairie provinces in recent weeks is a sign La Niña has come again, according to a Kansas-based meteorologist. Since mid-December, the Prairies have been in a deep freeze beginning with temperatures at least 10 C below-normal. Since the holiday season, many towns and cities in the […] Read more
Schoepp: The narrow definition of a farmer is far from the whole story
The full story of farming needs to be told more often, and we should be proud to do that
Reading Time: 3 minutes A farmer is defined by Merriam-Webster as a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals. I find the definition too narrow as it does not portray the depth and breadth of food production. From the tiny fields where mulberry is grown to feed the silkworms and the pots of herbs on a windowsill […] Read more
GM to chase rivals with US$105,000 electric Silverado
Less expensive retail Silverado EV to follow in 2024
Detroit | Reuters — General Motors’ US$35 billion electric vehicle strategy will face its biggest test in 2023 when it launches an electric version of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup with a six-figure price tag, more than a year after rivals Ford and Rivian Automotive. GM CEO Mary Barra on Wednesday told the annual CES technology […] Read more
Colder-than-normal Prairie winter forecast
MarketsFarm — Colder-than-normal temperatures are in the long-range forecast across Western Canada over the next three months, while much of Eastern Canada should be warmer. The latest seasonal forecast from Environment Canada, released Friday, calls for a 50 to 90 per cent chance of below-normal temperatures from January through March for the four western provinces. […] Read more
Dry times don’t dent a bumper crop of community goodwill
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even though it was a stressful year, that didn’t stop producers from across the province from stepping up once again for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. And some produced some surprising results. “We were very dry, but I guess we got the right rain at the right time, because the crop grew well and with record […] Read more
Record amount of grain moved, CN goes over revenue limit
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) recently ruled that Canadian National Railway exceeded its maximum grain revenue entitlements for the 2020/21 crop year. Meanwhile, the CTA stated that Canadian Pacific was under its entitlement. The CTA’s report stated that CN’s revenue from transporting Western Canadian grain was nearly C$1.045 billion and was C$2.4 million over its […] Read more
Ambulance shortage leaves Alberta’s rural residents at risk
Increasingly, the closest ambulance is ‘an hour away,’ say both paramedic association and union
Reading Time: 5 minutes The paramedic service is stretched to the breaking point and increasingly, there are no ambulances available when a rural resident suffers a medical emergency, say officials representing those first responders. “There’s 60 per cent more calls for 911 today than we were seeing about 10 years ago,” said Mike Parker, president of the Health Sciences […] Read more
Putting the spotlight (and movies) on Nanton’s historic elevators
Reading Time: 4 minutes Over the past couple of years, a volunteer group in Nanton has been showcasing their heritage elevators in new and exciting ways. “Our goal has been to really revitalize the elevators,” said Leo Wieser, president of the board of the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Society. “We’re trying a new tactic — turning them into […] Read more
Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies
Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements
MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
