Ag News

CPKC's assistant vice president of sales and marketing - bulk  Elizabeth Hucker says for the last three weeks they've moved an average of 539 thousand metric tonnes of grain per week.

She notes that's well below their weekly target of 683, 850 metric tonnes outlined in the Grain Service Outlook Report.

Richardson ground squirrels or gophers can be a major problem for farmers and ranchers.

The adults tend to emerge in early spring as the temperature warms up and then are above ground for about four months.

Insect and vertebrate pest management specialist Dr. James Tansey says the males tend to appear two weeks before the females, but it's really the adult females that you need to target and get early prior to the litters.

With the use of Strychnine now prohibited producers are looking for other control methods.

There are only a few more days for local farmers and producers to sign up for Alberta’s Open Farm Days. The event gives them the opportunity to show off their products as well as the work that goes into a plate of food. The event has been happening in Alberta for the last 10 years.  

The Canadian Grain Commission has implemented some new procedures with the PSAC strike continuing.

CGC head of communications Remi Gosselin says with 65 per cent of their employees out on strike operations have been significantly impacted.

"The CGC has been able to implement contingency plans to work with grain companies to identify priority cargo. So that those can continue and that grain exports can continue to flow from Canada."

He says there are about 140 grain inspectors across the country in Port locations that are currently on strike right now.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnerships five-year pulse cluster research program wrapped up at the end of March.

The total value of research under the Pulse AgriScience Cluster was over $17 million, with $11.1 million coming from the CAP AgriScience Cluster program.  

Statistics Canada reporting total producer deliveries of major grains in the Prairies for the month of March was 6.1 million tonnes up from the 4.6 million tonnes moved in February.

Total wheat and durum deliveries in March hit 3.2 million, oats 249 thousand, barley at 484 thousand tonnes, rye was 20 thousand while flaxseed numbers hit 39 thousand tonnes.

Total canola deliveries were at  2 million tonnes.

March stats for canola seed crush totaled 922,944 tonnes, with 384,817 tonnes of oil and 545,922 tonnes of meal produced.

You may not realize it but the province has more than eight million acres of grasslands, forests, riparian areas, and wetlands located on Crown land that can be used to graze livestock.

The Rangeland Grazing Framework focuses on how grazing fits into Crown Land and integrated land management practices.

Crown rangelands support 14 per cent of the province's beef herd.

As cattle graze the land they help to maintain healthy watersheds, wildlife habitats, and diverse plant and wildlife populations, and sequester carbon.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has released the information they'll be looking at in determining the Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE) for the railways in 2023-24.

The Maximum Revenue Entitlement limits the overall revenue earned by CN and CP for shipping grain, if the railways go over that cap they must pay a penalty to the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF). 

The opportunity to take part in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) consultation survey on Canada's Seed Regulatory Modernization is set to close May 1, 2023.

Farmers and others in the seed sector are encouraged to take part in the discussion and submit any recommendations they may have about the future of our seed system. 

The deadline is fast approaching for food producers of all stripes to get registered for Open Farm Days in August.

Tim Carson, CEO of Open Farm Days says it really does show off what the whole industry has to offer consumers.