Western Canadian feeder cattle prices experienced a mixed tone this past week. Heavier weaned calves were trading steady to as much as $4 higher compared to last week; however, shorter-term replacements were steady to $3 lower. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $170 to $172, down from week-ago levels of $177. […] Read more
Klassen: Limited demand means mixed tone for feeders
Climate Corp. crop data system in beta for Western Canada
A major farm data analysis package, already being offered for sale in Eastern Canada for use this spring, is in beta testing toward a rollout later this year in Western Canada. Management from Monsanto and its farm data systems arm, The Climate Corp., speaking on a conference call Thursday, said they see a launch for […] Read more
Prairies’ harvest window starting to close
CNS Canada — The dry, balmy weather that gave farmers in Western Canada the chance to get the remainder of this year’s crop off appears to be winding down. “There is a little disturbance in Alberta coming across to northern Saskatchewan over the next two days; it will start tonight,” said Drew Lerner of World […] Read more
La Nina effect in U.S. may not spill onto Prairies
CNS Canada — As the El Nino weather event of 2015-16 gradually fades into memory, most weather forecasters say it’s slowly being replaced by its cousin, La Nina. The La Nina phenomenon usually happens when water temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean fall by 3 to 5 C. According to Drew Lerner of […] Read more
West’s hog farmers urged to insist trailers cleaned in Canada
Hog industry officials in Western Canada want hog producers to insist that livestock trailers coming to their farms be washed at certified Canadian cleaning facilities — even if the trailers were just cleaned on the U.S. side of the border. The recommendation comes as a federally-approved trailer-wash pilot project, credited with helping to keep porcine epidemic diarrhea […] Read more
Drought watch kept on Alberta, early spring expected
CNS Canada — Above-average temperatures and limited precipitation could mean parts of the Prairies will struggle with soil moisture heading into the spring, according to one specialist. “The soil moisture that we have in the ground right now is similar to what we went into the winter with,” said Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist with Agriculture […] Read more
Timing of La Nina to play key role in Prairie moisture
CNS Canada –– As the El Nino weather phenomena slowly loosens its grip across Western Canada, many weather watchers say its impact has been somewhat underwhelming. However, one meteorologist said its lingering presence, coupled with the pending arrival of the La Nina weather event, may still play a large role in determining how much moisture […] Read more
Say hello to the creatures that live in your soil
There are just four basic types of soil organisms, but the diversity and sheer numbers of them are breathtakingly large
Reading Time: 3 minutes When you’re standing on your land, you’re atop an ecosystem with a diversity rivalling that of a coral reef. “Soil organisms are abundant and varied — you can find anywhere from 100 to 100,000 individuals in a single square metre of soil,” soil ecologist Jeff Battigelli told attendees at the recent Western Canada Soil Health […] Read more
What a year for cattle — but sharpen your pencils for 2016
Market expert Anne Wasko says a 3.5-million-head increase in the U.S. herd is going to be the story going forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle prices may be ending the year on a low note, but even so, it’s been a record-breaking run. “Averages are averages, but 2015 will go down in the record books for the cycle highs for Canada,” said Anne Wasko, marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock Marketing. “Everybody’s focusing on today, and of course, the market’s […] Read more
Meat packers desperate for workers despite jump in jobless rate
Farm Vote: There are 1,000 job vacancies at slaughter plants, but Canadians shun them
Reading Time: 2 minutes Despite job losses in other sectors, Canada’s pork industry is still struggling to build a sustainable workforce. “For us in Western Canada, it really comes down to availability of labour,” said Darcy Fitzgerald, executive director at Alberta Pork. “We need to have workers available for us, and often, they’re not Canadian, only because we don’t […] Read more
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