Got one or more of these in your office? Then you’re not only likely allowing some tax deductions to slip through your hands, you’re violating rule No. 2 on Carman Praski’s Top 12 tax-saving tips.

Top 12 tax-saving tips for your farm

Some require help from an accountant or adviser, but others are things you can do yourself

Reading Time: 4 minutes Every farmer wants to pay less in taxes, but it can be hard to know where to find those savings. “How do you feel confident you’re paying the least amount of tax possible? It’s tough,” said Carman Praski, business development representative at Farm Business Consultants. At the recent Ag in Motion virtual conference, Praski offered […] Read more



A botanist with APHIS’ National Identification Services (NIS) examines the contents of an unsolicited package of seeds under a microscope on July 30, 2020. (Photo courtesy USDA/APHIS)

Unasked-for seed packets considered ‘low-risk’

But don't plant, flush or compost them, CFIA warns

Federal inspectors say the unsolicited packages of seeds that have recently turned up in mailboxes across the country so far look to be “low-risk” — but still advise the public not to plant them. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have both reported […] Read more

Empty shelves, closed businesses, COVID testing at Cargill’s High River, and Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou heading to court in Vancouver. Just four of hundreds of factors at play as the pandemic batters economies around the world.

Pandemic fallout could get very grim before it gets better

The coming recession will be deep, and ‘revenge and blame’ will roil global markets, say experts

Reading Time: 5 minutes No one needs more bad news, but the pandemic is causing upheaval around the world and will produce a ‘very deep’ recession, say two leading economic experts. “The trade sanctions and the trade issues over the past couple of years were just a precursor of what may occur into the future,” said David Kohl, professor […] Read more



Marion Ashton, executive director of Sankofa Arts and Music Foundation, shares a Black is Beautiful beer with Haydon Dewes, owner of Cabin Brewing. The black forest coffee stout was brewed in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and will raise $20,000 for Sankofa.

Alberta companies join Black Lives Matter beer fundraiser

Reading Time: 4 minutes Bringing people together over a beer. That’s the goal of several businesses from across central Alberta that have joined forces to create a fundraiser beer to support the Black Lives Matter movement. “Beer is a great equalizer. You can break down a lot of barriers just by sitting down and having a beer with someone,” […] Read more


Olds College gets $21 million for building projects

Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College has been given more than $21 million in provincial funding for capital maintenance and to redevelop two existing buildings. The college received $15.2-million to expand the Lachlin McKinnon Building into the new Animal Health Education Centre and $6.2 million to redevelop the James Murray Building into the Ag-Tech Learning Hub that will house the […] Read more

Mystery seeds from China prompt warning

Reading Time: < 1 minute People are being warned not to plant seeds from unsolicited packages arriving in the mail, apparently from China. Hundreds of Canadians, and thousands of Americans have received packets of seeds in the mail in recent weeks. It’s suspected it may be a ‘brushing’ scam (a way to boost online sales). Authorities are warning people not […] Read more



(Bayer.com)

Bayer books second-quarter loss after settlement

Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer reported a 9.5 billion-euro (C$14.86 billion) net loss for its second quarter, following a US$10.9 billion settlement of U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup herbicide caused cancer. The charges stemmed mainly from agreements which attempted to wrap up legal disputes inherited with its US$63 billion […] Read more