(File photo)

Manitoba to cut Crown forage lease rates

Previous years' forage conditions a factor, province says

Reading Time: 2 minutes The rents paid by Manitoba producers using Crown lands to produce perennial forages will be cut in half next year and by smaller amounts the following two years. Provincial Ag Minister Derek Johnson on Wednesday announced the forage lease rent on agricultural Crown land will be reduced by 50 per cent in 2023, 33 per […] Read more

Alfalfa can fix up to 250 pounds of nitrogen per year, helping to build soil fertility and increasing crop yields.

Pitching forage as a cash crop

Adding perennial forages to annual crop rotation can pay big dividends, in more than just your bank account

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Grain farmers can harvest a heap of benefits by cycling perennial forages through their crop rotations, says an agronomist with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. Ken Wall said the economics of growing forage as a cash crop have changed significantly in recent years due to market conditions and a sharp increase in the price […] Read more


A Canada-wide map of drought conditions. Photo credit: Canadian Drought Monitor

Drought conditions remain in Alberta, Saskatchewan

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — After copious amounts of precipitation alleviated the most severe drought conditions in Saskatchewan and Alberta, there were still some areas dealing with extreme dryness entering July, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. At the end of June, only 22 per cent of the Prairie region was classified in the Abnormally Dry (D0) to […] Read more



(Government of Alberta via Flickr)

Alberta seeding ahead of five-year average

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — While spring planting in Alberta is 12.2 per cent complete overall there’s a disparity between the south and the rest of the province. Also, the pace was 2.6 points above the five-year average, but 5.2 behind last year. As of Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture found seeding in the south was at 36.5 per cent […] Read more

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Seeding already behind in Saskatchewan

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Saskatchewan Agriculture on Thursday issued its first weekly crop report of 2022, showing only one per cent of all crops in the ground. The report cited cool temperatures and spring snowstorms holding back many farmers getting into their fields. The overall five-year average at this time of year is five per cent complete. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan forage rainfall insurance to adjust for hot spells

SCIC also expanding crop roster for contract price option

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan forage and corn growers whose crops are insured against below-normal rainfall can expect a beneficial bump starting this year if those crops get cooked in high heat. The Saskatchewan and federal governments on Tuesday announced details for their 2022 crop insurance program — under which average coverage is expected to reach $405 per acre, […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market on soft slope

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $2 lower on average while calves traded steady to as much as $4 lower in certain regions; calves under 550 pounds were quoted $3-$6 below week-ago levels. Barley and wheat prices continue to percolate higher, causing a defensive sentiment amongst buyers. Southern Alberta and […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market reflects softer sentiment

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$4 lower; calves over 700 lbs. appeared to hold value; calves weighing less than 700 lbs. were down $3 to as much as $5. The yearling run is basically finished. Ontario buying interest was supportive in the eastern Prairie regions due to the bumper corn crop; […] Read more

(GFM file photo)

CFA’s Hay West program up and running

Program website now online

Reading Time: 2 minutes A revival of the “Hay West” initiative, aimed at shipping feed from Eastern Canada to supplement drought-dented supplies in the West, has gone live. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture on Friday announced its Hay West 2021 initiative is “now operational and seeking applicants to both receive and supply hay.” Applicants interested in either supplying or […] Read more