Ag News

Five candidates have been nominated for three positions at the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Board table. 

The five nominees include Brad Blackwell of Dinsmore, John Bumbac of Assiniboia, Donald Gaudet of Bellevue, Robyn Henry of Hodgeville, and Stuart Lawrence of Rosetown.

Voter packages will be mailed out to registered pulse growers later this month.

Inside the voting package producers will find a six digit ID number required for the electronic voting process.

Today, the Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Annie Koutrakis announced an investment of up to nearly $8 million for DG CanEst Transit Inc.

The money will go to update existing infrastructure and purchase new equipment for DG CanEst Transit Inc facilities at the Port of Montréal. 

In making the announcement Alghabra said the quality of our transportation infrastructure and the efficiency of our trade corridors are crucial to Canada’s economic success. 

All three prairie provinces now offer producers an online Environmental Farm Plan.

Manitoba and the Federal Government announcing the release of the "online" program yesterday.

Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson says the EFP is a valuable and proactive risk management tool. 

"It includes a strong educational component that will continue to provide positive environmental outcomes while enabling the province to meet its goals for enhancing public trust in the agricultural sector."

CN has reached an agreement through arbitration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. 

The three-year collective agreement is retroactive to January 01, 2022, and runs through December 31, 2024.

The new agreement includes a 3 percent wage increase in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The IBEW union represents approximately 750 unionized Signals and Communications employees in CN’s Canadian operations. 

IBEW workers went on strike June 18th against CN.

Seeding forages in the fall can be a good alternative to spring or summer seeding.

Range Management Specialist Paige Straf says timing is critical with dormant seeding.

"A good rule of thumb is to seed forages when the average daily air temperature are at five degrees Celsius or less. Ideally producers should target for soil temperatures that are less than two degrees Celsius."

She notes if you seed before the soil temperatures are low enough, seeds will take on moisture, can start to germinate, and can get killed off by the cold winter temperatures. 

Olds College of Agriculture and Technology is launching a new Agriculture Communications Certificate.

Debbie Thompson, VP, Academic & Student Experience says they're very excited to offer the first communications program in the country that is focused on supporting the agriculture and agri-food industry.

"Our students will learn both the fundamentals of marketing and communications, along with specific competencies in agriculture advocacy."

Sunday October 10th marked "World Mental Health Day" a day designed to promote awareness of Mental Health.

Over the last few years there's been a real push in the ag sector to realize the importance of focusing on your own mental health and reaching out for support.

For producers there's a number of factors that go into raising livestock or growing a crop that are out of their control.

The Canadian Grain Commission has made some key changes to the grain grading dispute process effective October 1st.

Farmers that disagree with a licensed primary elevator’s assessment of grain, have the right to ask the CGC for a "Final Quality Determination" (previously known as  "Subject to Inspector’s Grade and Dockage").

That request can relate to the official grade or any individual grading factor, including moisture, protein, and/or dockage.

CN's Winter Plan sets out a wide range of initiatives to ensure CN has the capacity and resources to meet customer needs.

CEO Tracy Robinson has been focusing the CN team on servicing customer needs by getting back to basics.

The 2022-23 Winter Plan released last week is built on four cornerstones: operating safely, delivering the best possible service, increasing network productivity and improving resiliency.

Some of new initiatives outlined in the Winter Plan to help improve delivery include:

There's a growing concern over the need for more veterinarians in rural areas, especially for large animals.

The challenge is not only trying to get people involved in the industry, but also in trying to get them to set up their practice in rural areas and focus on livestock production.

Manitoba has announced plans to address their shortage of rural vets.

The government has reached an agreement with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan to include another five students from Manitoba for 2023-24.