Reading Time: 6 minutes When Dana Thatcher started getting compliments from the other teachers at school about the food she was bringing for lunch, little did she know it would lead to a thriving farm, food and agri-tourism business. “People were interested in what I was eating, and the fact that we had grown it,” Thatcher recalls. “That’s what […] Read more
Value adding, with a flourish
What does it take to thrive with a farm that value adds? The answer surprised Dana Thatcher, and it will likely surprise you too
Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage
Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered
Reading Time: 2 minutes A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs sag on Wall Street woes, worker shortages
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog and live cattle futures closed lower on Monday, pressured by declines on Wall Street along with slowdowns at slaughterhouses due to worker shortages, traders said. CME February live cattle futures settled down 1.075 cents at 136.25 cents/lb., while March feeder cattle futures ended down 1.325 cents […] Read more
Canada resists pressure to drop vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing ahead with a vaccine mandate for international truckers despite increasing pressure from critics who say it will exacerbate driver shortages and drive up the price of goods imported from the United States. Canada will require all truckers entering from the U.S. to show proof […] Read more
Savvy travel tips
Ready to see the world again after COVID-19? Travel writer Anna Hobbs shares insider advice to make it a great trip
Reading Time: 5 minutes Editor’s note: This article was written for the December 2021 issue of Country Guide. As the COVID-19 situation changes from day-to-day, please refer to the latest information for your area or any area you plan to visit. If you have already returned to travel, you know travel has changed. It requires more preparation, more paperwork, […] Read more
Deere says its robo-tractors are ready to till the fields
Reading Time: 2 minutes Detroit | Reuters — Deere and Co. said Tuesday it will start commercial delivery this year of technology that enables a tractor to till a field without an operator in the cab, a first for the top North American tractor manufacturer after years of effort to automate farm work. Deere plans a low-volume launch this […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market has positive factors
Reading Time: 2 minutes There were no feeder cattle sales last week due to the holiday season; however, this didn’t stop many cow-calf producers from inquiring about the market outlook for 2022. This past year was one for the record books. There is no doubt about it. Waves of COVID-19 caused beef demand to be quite volatile from month […] Read more
Manitoba Ag Days postponed on COVID protocols
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2022 edition of Manitoba Ag Days will not proceed next month as originally planned. Ag Days’ management team and directors have postponed the event – now to be determined at a later date – originally scheduled for January 18-20, 2022, in Brandon, Man., based on new COVID-19 public health orders issued by the Manitoba […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn up, but highs may not last
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Corn, wheat and soybeans were all trading on a positive note at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) just days before the winter holidays. According to Scott Capinegro, a broker for Barrington Commodity Brokers at Lake Barrington, Ill., a greater appetite for risk by investors and inclement weather have both supported the markets. […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT wheat nears two-month low
Corn declines; soy ends firm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell nearly four per cent on Wednesday and European wheat fell three per cent as a bumper Australian harvest and signs of continued competition from Black Sea supplies added to technical pressure, traders and analysts said. Corn followed wheat lower while soybean futures ended modestly higher after monthly […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
