A rail car from SGCC’s fleet. (Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan budget seen as costly touch for farms

Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan’s general farm organization is consulting its farmer members on less-discussed features of last month’s provincial budget, while warning them to brace for impact from new budget-related costs. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan last Monday wrapped up its latest round of spring district meetings, at all six of which APAS general manager Duane Haave […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade sees record Canadian canola acres as possibility

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canadian farmers could be set to seed record-large canola acres in 2017, while wheat area is generally expected to be down on the year when Statistics Canada releases its first survey-based acreage estimates of the year on Friday. From a purely economic standpoint, “canola is historically the commodity that pays the bills,” […] Read more



Mixed conditions loom over Manitoba winter cereals

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — A mix of freezing and warming conditions put Manitoba’s winter cereals in uncertain condition, following months of promising weather, according to the head of an industry group. Manitoba’s winter wheat and fall rye crops had ample snow cover throughout the winter, which supported crops, but more recently, conditions turned slushy, then froze […] Read more


Brandt Industries will buy the Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Canada plant in Saskatoon for an undisclosed sum. (HilcoInd.com)

Brandt buys Saskatoon power generating equipment plant

Reading Time: 2 minutes Tractor and equipment manufacturer Brandt expects to double its manufacturing footprint — and expand into new equipment lines — after closing a deal for a major Saskatchewan plant site specializing in power generation machinery. The Regina-based company on Friday announced it had closed its deal to buy the former Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Canada facility […] Read more

A YourLink tower outside Weyburn, Sask. (YourLink.ca)

Wireless providers ordered to set up alert system

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s wireless providers have until April 2018 to set up wireless public alerting systems on LTE networks. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Thursday issued a directive to that effect to all wireless service providers. The alert system would allow emergency management officials to warn Canadians via mobile devices of “dangers to life […] Read more


Photo: Manitoba Government

Manitoba announces new appointments to its disaster assistance appeal board

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Manitoba government has appointed two new members to the Disaster Assistance Appeal Board (DAAB). “The Disaster Assistance Appeal Board plays an important role for Manitobans, providing an independent, non-judicial review of disputed claims,” said , Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen in a release. “The two new members’ leadership skills, volunteer experience and history serving on […] Read more

The Souris River at Minot, N.D. in June 2012. (Cynthia Hunter photo, Fema.gov)

Manitoba’s southwest expecting ‘well above normal’ runoff

Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba is expecting normal to above-normal spring runoff except in the Souris River basin, which is looking at “above normal to well-above normal runoff potential.” Levels of spring flooding still depend on future weather conditions, Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen said Friday in the province’s March flood outlook, but the risk of overland flooding is “slightly […] Read more


Seed potatoes loaded for planting. (File photo by Ralph Pearce)

Southwestern Ontario potato planting underway

Reading Time: < 1 minute Close-to-seasonal temperatures and good planting conditions across parts of southwestern Ontario have growers in the Leamington region planting potatoes. According to Eugenia Banks, a special consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, potato planting began Wednesday morning, ahead of a weather system that’s forecast to dump up to 40 mm of rain by Friday. According to […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Drought-related livestock tax deferral zones expand

Reading Time: 2 minutes More ranchers in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia will be able to defer some of their taxable income from livestock sales in 2016 due to drought. The federal government on Tuesday announced a second list of drought-designated regions where the livestock tax deferral provision will be allowed, along with the areas of […] Read more


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