Todd Hames chairs revamped Cereals Canada

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat chair Todd Hames is the new chair of the revamped Cereals Canada following its merger with Cigi. “The combined value under the new Cereals Canada model gives Canadian farmers a competitive edge,” said Hames, who farms near Marwayne. The new 16-member board has eight reps from farm groups (including Hannah Konschuh from Alberta […] Read more

(TopconPositioning.com)

Brandt closes GeoShack deal, locks up Topcon sales in Canada

Tractor company revives Ontario deal

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



Evert Beyer and wife Jannie (not pictured) emigrated from the Netherlands in 1994 and began dairy farming six years later. The family still milks cows but cheese making and retailing have become a major part of the family enterprise, which includes (from left) siblings Jocelyn, Harvey and Jacco (with sales manager Chad Carbno on the right). Another son, Theo, helps run the dairy farm.

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

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

A first batch of 60 Starlink satellites — each about the size of a table and weighing about 500 pounds — were stacked atop a Falcon 9 rocket and put in orbit in May 2019. More batches have been deployed and SpaceX plans to put thousands in place in a low orbit just a few hundred miles above the Earth’s surface.

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


It won’t be a typical Open Farm Days this year, but visitors will still be able to experience the sights at participating operations.

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