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Alberta extends deadline again for farm trucker training

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers who want the Class 1 license needed to drive commercial-scale tractor trailers but haven’t yet met the new training requirements can now apply for another extension to do so. The provincial transportation department on Friday announced further extensions are now available for farmers and farm workers seeking Class 1 licenses and for school […] Read more

A Mexican port-of-entry sign on Highway 92 near Naco, Arizona. (Rex_Wholster/iStock/Getty Images)

Mexico becomes first country to ratify USMCA deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico on Wednesday became the first country to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) agreed late last year to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump. By a vote of 114 in favour to four against, Mexico’s Senate backed the trade […] Read more


Wheat in southeastern Saskatchewan on May 31, 2019. (Leeann Minogue photo)

Saskatchewan extends greenfeed seeding deadline

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan farmers who still want to put in cereal crops for greenfeed with crop insurance coverage will get an extra couple of weeks to do so. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance on Wednesday announced an extension on the June 30 deadline for seeding crops for greenfeed, to July 15. Producers who have crop insurance will now be […] Read more

Prairie drought reaches tipping point

Prairie drought reaches tipping point

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The Prairie provinces have been under the influence of a large ridge of high pressure for a number of weeks, which has produced prolonged dryness with little precipitation. That high pressure system has pushed low-pressure, precipitation-carrying systems to the south, where the U.S. Midwest has already received significant rain. Environment Canada estimated the […] Read more


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CCGA now accepting upgraded cash advance applications

Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers can start applying for the new, higher cash advances from the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), starting Friday (June 7). “It’s three days earlier than we planned, but our team has been working very hard, along with program officials, to get this enhanced service in the hands of the hundreds of farmers who have […] Read more

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Mandatory Saskatchewan farm trucker training planned

Reading Time: 2 minutes The training exemption offered in Saskatchewan for semi truck drivers in agriculture operations is now set to be phased out within two years, the province said Wednesday. The provincial government in late 2018 announced it will require a minimum of 121.5 hours of training before a driver can obtain a Class 1 commercial driver’s licence, […] Read more


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a standing ovation during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on May 29, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Canada moves to ratify USMCA ahead of Pence visit

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government formally presented draft legislation to ratify the new North American Trade deal to parliament on Wednesday, less than 24 hours ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the bill to the House of Commons, confirming a Reuters story from Tuesday that […] Read more

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Canada’s realized net farm income way down in 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Stagnant farm cash receipts against significant increases in feed, fuel and interest costs have led to Canada’s biggest decline in realized net farm income in over a decade. That’s according to Statistics Canada, which on Tuesday released full-year farm income data for 2018, pegging realized net farm income for the year at $3.9 billion, down […] Read more



Precipitation percentiles on the Prairies for the period of April 1 to May 23, 2019. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Watch)

Prairie dryness concerns to persist

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more