“Sunny today but with clouds on the horizon” is how Serge Buy describes Canadian government investment in agricultural research. “There was more willingness for the federal government to invest in budgets 2016 and 2017, and some of the provinces are following suit,” says Buy, who’s the CEO of the Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC). “That’s[...]
Morriss, Pakosh, Streichs named to ag hall of fame
The Manitoba farmers who developed the rotary separator for combines, the co-founder of Versatile and the long-time editorial director for the website you're reading are bound for Manitoba's Agricultural Hall of Fame. The hall of fame on Monday unofficially announced its 2018 group of inductees, ahead of its annual meeting Wednesday in Portage la Prairie[...]
Putting down roots in Canadian soil
Before we even exchange our first word, I get a sense of Raymond Ngarboui. When we meet, he’s on the phone with a refugee settlement counsellor who asks if he might have garden plots available for two families from Burundi, recently arrived in Winnipeg and feeling stressed and isolated. This is 43-year-old Ngarboui’s side-project but[...]
Growing soybeans in southern Alberta
For some Prairie farmers, the question of whether to introduce soybeans into the rotation may seem like a no-brainer. They’re good nitrogen fixers and have proven a hit on rain-fed land in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where soybean acreage has increased dramatically over the past decade. But if you’re a producer in Alberta, the answer is[...]
Governing the farm
Like many farms with added complementary enterprises like a trucking company or livestock barn or a seed business, Tomtene Seed Farm at Birch Hill, Sask., has developed systems to juggle all the moving parts. “Maintaining identification and producing seed products of quality merit takes a shift in thinking about the products, about production, about the[...]
Saskatchewan, B.C. areas up for livestock tax deferrals
Livestock producers in several more parched municipalities in Saskatchewan and British Columbia will be able to defer income from sales of animals on their 2017 tax returns. The federal government on Tuesday announced its final list of designated regions for 2017, including 20 more municipalities in Saskatchewan and seven in British Columbia. The initial list,[...]
Alberta rancher, advocate James Hargrave, 34
A leader in southern Alberta's cattle ranching community died in a vehicle crash while helping fight wildfires along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border on Tuesday night. Cypress County officials have identified the firefighter as James Hargrave, 34, a volunteer with the fire station at Walsh, Alta., about 50 km east of Medicine Hat. Alberta's Agriculture Minister Oneil[...]
The news on soil health
Don Lobb takes a very dim view of how mankind has treated soil over the millennia, but he is slightly more hopeful for this generation, due both to our constantly growing body of knowledge about soils, and to farmers who are not only willing to experiment with better ways to take care of the soil,[...]
U.S. senators seek ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos
New York / Reuters – A group of Democratic senators hopes to ban a pesticide the U.S. government has greenlighted for use, according to a bill unveiled on Tuesday in a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump's push to loosen environmental regulations. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, would outlaw chlorpyrifos,[...]
New mentorship program looks to connect Angus breeders
What kind of advice can an Angus breeder in the Maritimes give to a breeder in Manitoba? If their management practices are similar enough, they might be about to find out. Participating long-term breeders will be paired off with industry newcomers this summer after the Canadian Angus Association launched its national mentorship program June 10.[...]
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
