(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie hay crops look thin in many areas

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Many farmers taking off their first hay cuts are also gathering more talking points to grumble over at coffee row. While many producers are still working to get the first cut done and the situation could change with the second cut, many regions are already reporting below-average yields. “In areas of the […] Read more

(Video screengrab from Macdon.com)

Amid trade uncertainties, Linamar builds up ag unit

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — When Linamar announced it was purchasing MacDon Industries at the end of last year, there was trade uncertainty for Canada. Since then, the issues have ballooned, but Linamar isn’t panicking. “We’re trying to look past (the trade uncertainty) a little bit because there’s a lot going on there and we don’t know […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan, B.C. areas up for livestock tax deferrals

Reading Time: 2 minutes 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, […] Read more


U.S. judge ends case over standoff in Nevada land dispute

U.S. judge ends case over standoff in Nevada land dispute

Reading Time: 2 minutes Las Vegas | Reuters — A federal judge on Monday threw out a criminal case against a Nevada rancher and three other men over a 2014 militia standoff with federal agents, saying prosecutors had repeatedly withheld evidence from the defense. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed the case “with prejudice,” meaning that rancher Cliven Bundy, […] Read more

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro announced provincial funding Dec. 8 for what will now operate as Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station. (LakeheadU.ca)

Lakehead University to operate Thunder Bay ag station

Reading Time: 2 minutes The not-for-profit Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station’s quest for a longer-term operating plan has ended with a new operator, and a new name. The Ontario government recently announced it will transfer the TBARS’s operating and research programming responsibilities to Thunder Bay-based Lakehead University, which will now operate the site as Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station […] Read more


(Government of Alberta via Flickr)

Loans pledged for wildfire-damaged Alberta farms

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ranchers and farmers in two southeastern Alberta municipalities hit by wildfire in mid-October may soon be able to apply for interest-free rebuilding loans. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) on Wednesday announced loan applications will be available Jan. 8 for eligible producers in Cypress County and the MD of Acadia. Applications under the Hilda […] Read more

MacDon opened a new parts distribution centre in Winnipeg in 2016. (Macdon.com)

Harvestec owner Linamar set to buy MacDon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian harvesting equipment company MacDon is set to join the ag arm of industrial equipment and parts manufacturer Linamar. Guelph-based Linamar Corp., which markets the Harvestec brand of corn harvesting headers in North America, on Thursday announced a “definitive” agreement to buy 100 per cent of Winnipeg-based MacDon and its group of companies for $1.2 […] Read more


(GullLakeSK.ca)

Wildfire-damaged grazing areas up for Saskatchewan aid

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan’s provincial disaster assistance program (PDAP) will be opened up to cover southwestern grazing areas damaged by this fall’s wildfires. The province’s government relations minister, Larry Doke, on Wednesday announced producers who incurred wildfire damage on “tame and native lands” intended for grazing may now apply for assistance to get feed for affected livestock. Winds […] Read more

Chris Martin developed his own hay dryer to improve the quality of his hay.

Farmer-made hay dryer boosts quality

Chinook bale dryer uses spikes to dry bales from the inside out

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chris Martin saw how hay bale dryers were working in Quebec and thought that the concept would work on his farm in Ontario. And he figured he and his brother could make one that worked even better. Three years later, they have their dryer working – but not perfected – and have sold one other […] Read more