Reading Time: 3 minutes Environmental issues remain a hot topic for provincial agriculture ministers. That and sustainable agriculture dominated discussions during the recent federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers meeting in Fredericton, N.B. The annual conference was held from July 19-21. The focus on sustainable agriculture tracks, as this is the first time the ministers have met since […] Read more
Federal and provincial ag ministers meet in Fredericton
Preview: Railways, grain shippers at loggerheads over interswitching
Pilot to test expanded radius deemed unnecessary by both sides
Reading Time: 1 minute Recent legislation has raised the stakes in a decade-long battle between the railways and Canadian grain shippers over the interswitching radius. Interswitching refers to a regulation to ensure shippers located where only a single railway operates can access points that are not served by that railway. The issue is especially concerning for Canadian grain shippers […] Read more
Researchers study corn for frost tolerance
New research could help breed frost-resistant corn
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – New research at the University of Saskatchewan aims to help breeders bolster corn’s resistance to environmental stressors. Corn, along with other warm-season crops, has been creeping its way into new regions of Canada previously thought unsuitable for the crop. That, according to researchers at the university, is the silver lining of climate […] Read more
Inflation, interest rates, input costs catch up to meat sector
Canada's meat industry hits hard times
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s been a torrent of bad news in the meat sector in the last two months. Tyson Foods reported its first quarterly loss since 2009; HyLife’s processing plant in Windom, Minn., declared bankruptcy; Smithfield Foods is closing 40 sow farms in Missouri; Olymel announced the permanent closure of its Vallée-Jonction hog plant in Quebec; and […] Read more
PSAC federal worker strike could hit at grain transport
Prolonged strike could cause grain shipment delays, lead to demurrage costs
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike is drawing fire from Canadian agricultural commodity groups — mostly concerned with how grain transportation could be disrupted. The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association issued a strongly worded press release on Tuesday after striking picketers targeted Vancouver’s Cascadia grain terminal, co-owned by Viterra and Richardson International. “A […] Read more
Buy or rent? Land rent-to-price ratio can help farmers decide
FCC sees current ratios on farmland as (roughly) stable
Reading Time: 4 minutes Higher interest rates don’t seem to be affecting the ratio between land values and land rental costs — at least, not yet. Farm Credit Canada’s latest analysis of farmland rental prices says they’re roughly maintaining their traditional linkage, says J.P Gervais, the organization’s chief economist. “We were curious to see whether that would bring up […] Read more
‘Keep it Clean’ program aims for more than just good advice
Program seen as 'one stop shop' for ensuring marketability of grains
Reading Time: 3 minutes As farmers plan for the upcoming season, they need to do their part to make certain their grain will be ready for market, come harvest time. “Market access issues in general are becoming a bigger issue globally,” said Ian Epp, an agronomy specialist and lead on market access and pesticides with the Canola Council of […] Read more
Federal report shows farmer concerns remain regarding emissions targets
AAFC report polled farmers, industry for thoughts on fertilizer emissions policy
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) report shows farmers remain concerned about federal emissions reduction targets — and whether those targets remain voluntary. The “What We Heard” Report, released Wednesday, is the result of consultations between AAFC and the agricultural sector to gather feedback on how best to support farmers and producers to achieve […] Read more
Farmland values exceed expectations
Ontario leads the country with 19.4 per cent increase
Reading Time: 3 minutes Average farmland prices were up 12.8 per cent in Canada in 2022, the largest increase seen since 2014 when the increase was 14.3 per cent. The increase follows gains of 8.3 per cent in 2021 and 5.4 per cent in 2020. J.P. Gervais, FCC’s chief economist, said the numbers were a little bit of a […] Read more
Is the end of the chemical era drawing near for farms?
The future of weed control is going to require a more balanced approach
Reading Time: 6 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Chemical herbicides have long been the jewel in the crown of weed management, but after seven decades of use, natural selection is turning back the calendar. Herbicide resistance in weeds was first discovered in the 1980s and the problem has steadily increased. With no new chemistries introduced in more than 30 years, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
