Ag News

Canola producers, agronomists and industry representatives are gathering in Saskatoon for Canola Week meetings.

The event kicked off Tuesday with the President of the Canola Council of Canada talking about how important innovation has been for the industry and will continue to be going forward. 

Jim Everson told the crowd that after weathering a couple of tough years we're seeing many promising signs of growing demand.

He says we continue to see growing demand for canola oil and a growing awareness of canola meal advantages as an animal feed ingredient.

Dairy producers are gathering in Winnipeg this week for their Annual Conference. 

David Wiens, Chair of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba says it's nice to be back with an in-person event.

"There's a lot of excitement for farmers, our stakeholders and suppliers to come together."

He says while last year was a struggle for producers trying to find feed with the drought, things turned around this year and despite wet conditions, producers brought in some surprisingly good crops.

Hensall Co-op has set a new record for annual revenues for independent Canadian-owned agricultural co-ops.

During its recent AGM the Co-op reported annual revenues of over $1 billion as it celebrates its 85th Anniversary.

Hensall Co-op operations include 25 locations in Ontario and Manitoba, with farm contracts throughout Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, as well as a number of US locations.

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, revenues increased 21 per cent year-over-year to $1,085 Million across its vast business portfolio.  

Farm Credit Canada's chief economist J.P. Gervais says with a good crop in 2022, receipts for 2023 are going to rebound and that should sustain the demand for equipment.

He notes there are caveats to this positive outlook, interest rates is one of them, the cost of farm inputs overall, and the weakening Canadian dollar. 

While the depreciating loonie makes new tractors and combines more expensive, it also has a positive effect on farm commodities destined for export.

Jenn Pfenning of New Hamburg, Ontario was elected during the group's National Convention.

Pfenning is the Director of Human Resources, Marketing and Operations at Pfenning's Organic Farm and has served on numerous agriculture food-related boards and is a past president of the Organic Council of Ontario.

She takes over the organization's top spot with the retirement of Katie Ward who served as president of the organization for the last four years.

Rounding out the NFU board table:

The Alberta government, the Municipal District of Acadia, the Special Areas Board and the Canada Infrastructure Bank are investing about $7 million to continue the planning of a large-scale irrigation project to be located in east-central Alberta.

Nate Horner, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation says historically, irrigation has been a game-changer when it comes to increasing sustainable primary crop production.

APAS President Ian Boxall spoke before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology on Monday.

The focus was on Bill C-244 An Act to amend the Copyright Act - a key principle in the Bill is to enable farmers access to the software and computer programs being used in their equipment.

Boxall reiterated the importance of the right for farmers to have access to repair their own farm machinery.

The number of feeder cattle moving through Saskatchewan Auction Marts slowed down last week.

Canfax reported 20,488 head sold over the week, down from 40,694 head the previous week.

The average prices for feeder steers ranged from $317.35 per cwt for the 300 to 400-pound weight category, to $219.33 per cwt for the 900+ category. 

Prices for feeder heifers ranged from $245.21 per cwt for the 300-400 pound weight category to $201.50 per cwt for the 800 plus category. 

Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers handed out the 2022 W.R. Motherwell Award during the National Event last week in Saskatoon.

The award is presented annually to an individual or couple who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and dedication to both the OYF program and Canadian agriculture. 

This year's recipients of the  W.R. Motherwell Award are Karilynn & Ian Marshall of Bowden (Alberta).

The couple became involved in COYF when they were chosen as Alberta's 2004 OYF Honourees.
 
Here's the couple's bio from COYF

More and more cattle producers are looking at extensive winter feeding options.

This involves feeding the animals out on the field through swath grazing, bale grazing, processing or using stockpiled forages.

Agri-Environmental Specialist Keana Boere says the animals are out on the field and their feed is already located on that field.