Ag News

This week, Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Legacy Farm Project.

This is a significant stride in bridging the past and future of agriculture.

GHSD and Legacy Farm Project listed a series of goals for the collaboration which include:

Alberta is concerned about a potential drought.

The province says at this point the winter snowpack is well below average,  with many rivers reported to be at record low levels and multiple reservoirs sitting at well below capacity. 

Alberta’s new Water Advisory Committee is a six-person advisory committee tasked with helping to prepare for a drought.

The committee is made up of a wide range of individuals and leaders with experience in agriculture, irrigation, Indigenous, industry, rural and urban issues.

The Water Advisory Committee will include:

The Manitoba Beef Producers Annual General Meeting gets underway tomorrow in Brandon. 

This year the organization is celebrating it's 45th Anniversary and has lined up a number of keynote presentations that should be of interest to producers.

General Manager Carson Callum one issue that will be discussed over the next couple of days relates to predation.

CN Rail continues to recover from the slowdown during the bitter cold temperatures of a few weeks ago.

CN's Assistant Vice President of Grain David Przednowek says in December the network velocity was at about 215 miles per day, which dropped substantially during the cold snap but has once again regained momentum.

G3 Canada has renewed its long-term partnership with the Port of Quebec for another 30 years.

The Québec City terminal is ideally located for receiving ships transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway which gives G3 the benefit of rail access, exceptional water depth, and access to the seaway twelve months a year.

The G3 terminal has a storage capacity of over 225,000 tonnes and moves grain through the Port of Québec to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.

The deal is now official, and all regulatory approvals have been met.

Ontario-based Linamar Corporation has completed its purchase of Bourgault Industries Ltd at St. Brieux, Saskatchewan.

The $640 million transaction was announced back on December 20th with Linamar acquiring 100 per cent of Bourgault and its subsidiaries Highline Manufacturing and Free Form Plastics. 

Bourgault now joins Linamar's Agriculture division of MacDon (a harvesting equipment leader) and Salford (a tillage and crop nutrition equipment leader).

4-H Canada has named the individuals being recognized through the 2023 National Awards Program.

Three prestigious national awards - Distinguished Alumni, Honourary Member, and National Volunteer Leader of the Year recognize the extraordinary contributions of supporters, volunteers, and alumni who embody the mission of 4-H and make an impact on youth and the communities they serve. 

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to honour the outstanding leadership and contributions of 4-H alumni to their communities, country, and the world.

The Beef Cattle Research Council is still looking for producers to take part in their 2023 Canadian Cow-Calf Survey.

Cow-calf producers across Canada are being asked to share information about their 2023 calf crop.

Kathy Larson, one of the researchers involved says the online survey will take producers through a series of questions.

"It will take probably between 30 and 40 minutes of a producer's time. It's helpful to have some numbers at hand because you'll have to go back to details on how many females you exposed to breeding."

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced an investment today of up to $89 million for 49 projects under the Supply Management Processing Investment Fund.

This Fund is a key part of the Government of Canada's commitment to supporting processors in supply-managed sectors in addressing the impacts of recent international trade agreements.

Farmers are busy finalizing plans for the upcoming growing season.

With that in mind, a reminder for producers that the Ministry of Agriculture is once again looking for people to be volunteer crop reporters.

Crops Extension Specialist McKenzie Hladun says all volunteers will receive a welcome package with all the information.