Virden's Brennin Jack claims Reserve Champion at World Livestock Auctioneering Championship
He sold his first million-dollar pre-sort cattle sale in Kelvington, Saskatchewan at just 12 years old and hasn't looked back!
Last week, Branch Manager at Heartland Livestock Services in Brandon, Brennin Jack won the Reserve Champion at the World Livestock Auctioneering Championship in Iowa, placing second in the 30-competitor lineup. The Livestock Marketing Association convention was held in Omaha, Nebraska with the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship being held at Dunlap Livestock Auction in Dunlap, Iowa.
Eyes on the Ground: What to watch for as June turns to July
Applied Research Crop Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Scott Chalmers, calls this spring's seeding season a 'split start', but in the end we're off to a great start!
"So, we had an early start. A lot of people seeded their serials and corn nice and early, and then we had that soggy May long weekend, which was perfect because, you know, when it decided to rain it sure rained and we ended up with 2 1/2 to 3 inches in the area, which laid kind of a really nice foundation for seeding our shallow and expensive crops like canola for example," explains Chalmers.
Canada's first FMD vaccine bank is another step closer
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and severe disease that affects cattle, sheep, swine, and other cloven-hoofed animals making it hard for them to eat and walk, leaving them weak and sick.
The FMD vaccine bank builds on existing protections for the livestock industry and equips producers with another tool to control and eliminate the disease should an outbreak occur.
Budget 2023 committed $57.5 million over five years, with $5.6 million ongoing, to the CFIA to establish the FMD vaccine bank and response plans.
Physiological Leaf Spot is showing up in Southern Alberta
Physiological Leaf Spot is suspected in a number of winter wheat fields in Southern Alberta.
Physiological leaf spot (PLS) appears as round or oval lesions that may be yellow or bleached white to gray in color. Lesions may also have a dark center with a narrow chlorotic (yellow) halos and tend to be more numerous toward the tip of the leaf blade. PLS lesions are often found in the upper canopy, and missing or rare on lower leaves.
Three Factors Favoring Physiological Leaf Spot (PLS):
Pulse sector fights anti-green trend
U.S. president Trump has attacked the sustainability movement, but a major pulse player urges investors to stick with the industry
A Canadian food industry executive is telling pulse companies to stick with their sustainability messaging despite attempts by powerful people to undermine the movement.
Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients, said U.S. president Donald Trump has been very vocal about his disdain for the green movement.
Wood Mountain couple win the 2025 Saskatchewan Stock Grower TESA
Mark and Karin Elford of Wood Mountain ranch near the Saskatchewan/Montana border, and have been named the Saskatchewan Stock Growers 2025 TESA winners.
Since 1996, TESA, or The Environmental Stewardship Award, has recognized producers who go above and beyond standard industry conservation practices and set positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public.
CN deploying Poseidon and Trident to help fight the wildfires
The ongoing wildfire situation stretches from northern Ontario right across the prairies, with the threat to homes and communities and thousands of people being evacuated.
The Assistant Vice-President of Grain for CN, David Przednowek, says they are monitoring the situation very closely as their rail lines run through the north.
CN reports they've had some delays moving grain in and out of the Port at Thunder Bay but are also doing what they can to help with the wildfires.
The lack of moisture is becoming more of a concern in Alberta
Plant 2025 is virtually complete in Alberta, other than a few acres in the Peace region.
Manglai a product co-ordinator with the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation put together the latest report, adding there were very few weather interruptions, just a few localized showers.
In terms of crop development, almost all crops are ahead of average. The soil conditions are trending drier, but there's hope that producers could see some significant impact with June rains.
Customer diversity seen as benefit to exporters
Sixty-six per cent of Canadian exporters rely solely on United States, but economists say that can be hard on the bottom line
For someone running an agricultural or agri-food business in Saskatoon, Kelowna or Halifax, it’s easier to sell products to customers in Canada than to someone in Vietnam.
It may be easier, but exporting will make the business more productive and profitable.
Red lentil supply depends on Canada, Australia
Australia hopes its crop will recover from last year’s drought and frost, while Canada’s production is expected to be down
The 2025-26 red lentil market hinges on what happens with Australia and Canada, say analysts.
If those two countries have average yields, supply and demand will be well balanced, Chuck Penner, an analyst with LeftField Commodity Research, recently told delegates attending the Global Pulse Confederation’s Pulses 25 conference in Singapore.