Ag News

Farmers are being reminded to take part in the Canadian Grain Commission's (CGC)  Harvest Sample Program.

Dr Sean Walkowiak, a research scientist with the CGC's Grain Lab, says under the program, farmers send in crop samples and in turn, receive free unofficial grade and quality information which is helpful when marketing your grain.

Olds College of Agriculture and Technology is now offering a new Indoor Agriculture Certificate program.

The program, the first of its kind offered in Canada is designed to meet the growing need for skilled professionals in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector.

The four month program will equip students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to optimize plant growth in indoor growing conditions involving vertical farming, hydroponics and more.

The number of Avian Influenza cases in Western Canada continues to climb.

The risk for avian influenza increases during spring and fall with wild bird migration 

Stats from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website show they've seen a number of active outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza being reported this fall.

HPAI IS NOT A  food safety concern.

There is no evidence to suggest that eating cooked poultry or eggs could transmit HPAI to humans.

CFIA stats showing the number of operations under current quarantine 

Farmers are being urged to contact their Senators to chat about the importance of Bill C-234 passing the third reading in the Chamber this week. 

Dave Carey, co-chair of the Agriculture Carbon Alliance (ACA) says the Bill will save producers millions of dollars when it comes to using natural gas and propane for heating and cooling of livestock barns, greenhouses, irrigation, and grain drying.

Numbers from the Parliamentary Budget Office show that if the Bill is passed it will save producers $975 million in carbon tax over eight years.

The railways have seen a slow down in grain movement over the last couple of weeks.

CN's assistant vice president of grain David Przednowek says its reflective of market demand right now.

"There isn't even enough demand from customers to touch the upper limits of the supply chain with respect to how much grain can move in a given week. We're not even close. So it's reflective in the placement of car orders by customers for grain movement. "

He notes they've seen that declining trend into November in a typical year, but this isn't a typical year.

"Together Towards Tomorrow"  is the theme for the Canadian Bison Association's 40th Annual Convention in Regina.

Executive Director Carl Flis says the bison industry is still relatively new and is about 1/10th the size of the cattle industry.

"The last census was estimated that 975,000 bison in Canada. So a good portion of that would be predominantly within the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan with roughly 150 to 200,000 head each."

The 52nd Annual Show runs today through Saturday and features livestock shows, cattle sales, an extensive trade show, and a variety of entertainment for all ages. 

The official Burning of the Brand is set for this morning at 10 AM in the Ag Ex which officially kicks off Canadian Western Agribition.

The Canadian National 4H and Youth Judging Competition begins today as well as the Youth Showmanship and Team Grooming. 

Farm groups across the country are calling on the Senate to finally push Bill C-234 through.

The bill calls for the exemption of the carbon tax on natural gas and propane for farm use including grain drying, heating and cooling barns and greenhouses.

Earlier this month, just as the Bill was in its third reading there was a call to adjourn debate which was granted by the Senate speaker.

With the Senate returning this week,  farmers and ranchers are getting emails encouraging them to reach out to Senators calling on them to pass the bill into law.

Canadian Western Agribition is set to go, the 52nd Annual event opens to the public on Monday, November 20th.

CEO Shaun Kindopp says everything is coming together with cattle exhibitors already starting to arrive on Thursday.

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announcing another key investment this time in Manitoba's Ag Sector. 

MacAulay announced $9.2 million dollars over five years for the creation of a new living lab program in Manitoba.

The living labs are a collaborative approach to agricultural innovation, bringing together farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders to co-develop and test new practices and technologies in a real-life context, so they can be adopted more quickly by Canadian farmers.