A deal to make Brandt Tractor the exclusive dealer for Topcon geopositioning equipment clear across Canada has been resuscitated. Regina-based Brandt announced Tuesday it has closed its previously-announced deal to buy the assets of GeoShack Canada — two weeks after Dallas-based GeoShack declared that “a mutually beneficial deal… has not been attained.” GeoShack has been […] Read more
Brandt closes GeoShack deal, locks up Topcon sales in Canada
Tractor company revives Ontario deal
Green Plains sues ADM, alleging ethanol market manipulation
Chicago | Reuters — Green Plains Inc., one of the biggest U.S. ethanol producers, sued Archer Daniels Midland on Tuesday, accusing the global grain trader of manipulating the price of the biofuel to profit from its positions in the derivatives market. Green Plains filed the proposed class action with the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, […] Read more
Retail proves a lifeline for Alberta cheese-making family
The pandemic has been a boon for local food — something they know well at Crystal Springs Cheese
Reading Time: 3 minutes Retail wasn’t in the plans when Evert and Jannie Beyer went into the cheese-making business. But when the pandemic struck, it proved to be a lifeline. The couple emigrated from the Netherlands in 1994 and began milking cows in 2000. They took over Crystal Springs Cheese in 2005, moving the business from Bluffton to a […] Read more
G3 opens two more elevators in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute There weren’t the traditional ribbon-cutting parties, but G3 has opened its latest two high-efficiency elevators in Alberta. The Morinville and Carmangay feature fast unloading of trucks and can accommodate 150-car trains on their loop tracks. The new facilities will ship grain to G3 Terminal Vancouver, when it opens this summer. It too has loop tracks […] Read more
New trade deal with U.S. now in effect
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s beef producers will continue to enjoy the benefits of duty-free trade under the Canada, United States, Mexico Agreement, which came into force July 1. “In the face of the economic hardships of COVID-19, it is timely and welcome that the new NAFTA enters into force, providing the continuation of economic stability for our rural […] Read more
Agriculture can lead Alberta out of pandemic woes, say leaders
Blue ribbon panel offers six-point action plan to make sector a driver of provincial growth
Reading Time: 3 minutes Agriculture could be a driver of growth in Alberta and offers “mountains of opportunities for growth, investment and jobs,” says a report from a high-profile panel of ag sector players. The panel was one part of a wider group of experts and business leaders asked by Premier Jason Kenney to make recommendations on how to […] Read more
Out-of-this-world rural internet speeds still a long way off
Famed entrepreneur Elon Musk plans to bring affordable, high-speed internet to rural Canada, but experts are wary
Reading Time: 4 minutes SpaceX is shooting for the moon with the promise of reliable high-speed internet for rural Canadians — but farmers might want to keep their expectations a little more grounded, at least for now. Last month, the space exploration company owned by Elon Musk (of PayPal and Tesla fame applied for several Basic International Telecommunications Service […] Read more
Open Farm Days ready to rise to the challenge
Things will be much different this year but organizers are confident the event will be successful
Reading Time: 3 minutes As they say, ‘The show must go on.’ And that’s how the organizers of Alberta Open Farm Days feel. “As we got into Stage 2 (of pandemic reopening), we looked at the regulations to see whether it could go ahead. This wasn’t something we took lightly,” said Nicola Doherty, marketing co-ordinator with Alberta Open Farm […] Read more
Alberta young speakers event moves online
Deadline for video submissions is Aug. 15
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta edition of the Young Speakers for Agriculture competition is going ahead despite the pandemic. Although the national edition of the event, held each November at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, has been cancelled, organizers here have opted for an online videotaped version. “By having all the participants submit their videos online, […] Read more
Campaign seeks public support for farmers
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other groups have launched a new advocacy campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the support farmers require because of the pandemic. Called “Food for Thought,” the campaign focuses on the rising cost of food, the number of jobs that agriculture employs and how the […] Read more