Reading Time: 2 minutes The percentage of value (POV) subject to property taxes will be bumped back up on Saskatchewan producers’ rangeland and pasture for the 2017 tax year. Government Relations Minister Donna Harpauer on Monday announced the POV on non-arable (range) land such as pastures will be set via regulatory amendment at 45 per cent, up from 40. […] Read more

Taxability to rise on Saskatchewan rangeland

Bovine TB probe turns up more TB-positive cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Federal inspectors have confirmed a southeastern Alberta cow found with bovine tuberculosis in September was not just a one-off. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Friday reported five more cattle from the initial cow’s index herd in southeastern Alberta are confirmed to have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria — presumed to be to be […] Read more

Bovine TB quarantines push into Saskatchewan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Two farms in southwestern Saskatchewan have been added to the list of those under federal quarantine as inspectors widen their search for cattle exposed to a new-to-Canada strain of bovine tuberculosis (TB). As of Thursday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it had “approximately 33” farms in Alberta and two in Saskatchewan under quarantine. The […] Read more
Canaryseed prices to whipsaw on weather
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNSC – Saskatchewan’s canaryseed spot prices have seen short-term gains, as wet conditions stalled harvest progress, but one industry participant expects the market may drift back down in the long run. “It’s a pretty good crop, it just isn’t in the bin,” said David Nobbs, managing partner of Canpulse Foods, and current chair of the […] Read more

Saskatchewan government signs onto 4R fertilizer stewardship
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Saskatchewan government has agreed to work with Fertilizer Canada to promote adoption of fertilizer application practices using the 4R stewardship model. “Saskatchewan has long promoted 4R Nutrient Stewardship and many farmers have adopted it as best practice. This agreement will further that work, contributing to greater on-farm sustainability and environmental stewardship in Saskatchewan,” Agriculture […] Read more

New soybean varieties in 2017 for Western Canada
Demand for soybeans just keeps rising on the Prairies
Reading Time: 7 minutes Three years ago, something interesting occurred in soybean production in Canada: in 2013, Manitoba became the second-leading producer of soybeans in the country. The province’s 1,068,200 acres of soybeans eclipsed the 847,000 acres produced in Quebec. And the figures continue to rise with each passing year, to the point where nearly 1.4 million acres came […] Read more

Getting the scoop on grain grading
Farmers get a better understanding of frost damage, colour, mildew, sprouting and other downgrading factors
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta recently had the opportunity to learn hands-on about how their grain is graded after delivery to their local elevator. In July, grain-grading seminars were held for farmers in Yorkton and Swift Current, Sask. for the first time as a joint effort between the Canadian International Grains Institute, Canadian Grain Commission […] Read more

Saskatchewan sets gradual markups for brewers
Reading Time: 2 minutes The system of provincial markups applied on beer sold in Saskatchewan is about to change, so beer from expanding local-level breweries won’t be charged the same rate as major players. Starting Tuesday (Nov. 1), the wholesale markup on beers distributed by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) will be set at one of seven […] Read more
Harvest woes rally canola, turn some farmers into winners
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters –– As some Western Canada farmers watched rain and snow turn their ripening canola fields into bogs, Rob Stone could count his blessings. Harvest weather was kinder to his farm at Davidson, Sask., about 100 km southeast of Saskatoon, and Stone finished harvesting canola by mid-September. Then, when worries about four million […] Read more

Carbon price worries farmers, fertilizer makers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Toronto | Reuters — Canada’s plan to price carbon emissions may weaken the farm sector in one of the biggest grain-shipping countries, raising farmers’ costs and discouraging investment in fertilizer production, industry groups say. Ottawa this month promised a price on carbon emissions by 2018, and will let provinces choose a tax or cap-and-trade system. […] Read more