The Harder family says the NFU is a necessary, and often ahead of its time, voice in farm policy debates as the organization turns 50
Lowe Farm seed grower Wilf (Butch) Harder used one of his characteristic quick-witted comebacks last week in answer to a friend’s observation that he doesn’t fit the stereotype of a National Farmers Union member. “Just because you’re a socialist doesn’t mean you have to be poor,” quipped Harder, as he celebrated the farm organization’s 50th […] Read more
But it may not be as easy to access following harvest challenges across the Prairies
A tough harvest has hit quality, but Western Canada still has the high-quality milling wheat it is famous for. That’s the message prospective buyers will hear at seminars this fall and early winter in Asia, Latin America, Italy, and North and West Africa. The events are organized by Cereals Canada, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) […] Read more
Based on early samples assessed by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) through its Harvest Sample Program this fall, sprout damage was not the top factor reducing the grade of western Canadian wheat in the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) class. The single biggest degrading factor was mildew affecting 24.7 per cent of the No. 2, […] Read more
Farmers who file online will find out right away if they are in a claim position
The deadline for Manitoba farmers to submit crop insurance Harvest Production Reports to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) is Dec. 2, whether the farmer completed harvest or not. Both the paper and online report forms should be easier for farmers to fill out because less information is now required, David Van Deynze, MASC’s vice-president […] Read more
That’s just one of several election promises included in the new Manitoba government’s throne speech
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he’s committed to phasing out education taxes on farmland and other property over 10 years starting in 2022 when the Manitoba government’s books are expected to be balanced. It’s a promise welcomed by farmers who say the burden of funding schools in rural areas has shifted disproportionally to them because […] Read more
Know what you have and start talking to buyers about what they need
Know the quality of your crop, including the falling number of wheat, and start talking to buyers. That’s the advice commodity groups and grain companies have for farmers as they struggle to finish the harvest from hell and try to sell what’s in the bin, including wheat with widely varying falling numbers across the Prairies. […] Read more
The decision comes as royalty discussions start to heat up
Syngenta’s decision to scrap its Canadian wheat-breeding program is a wake-up call, industry officials warn. Canada needs an improved royalty system to reward wheat breeders for new varieties or more private breeders could pull out, according to some, while others say it’s critical public breeders are well funded in case they do. But a recent […] Read more
Paul Earl concludes Agricore United didn’t have to be sacrificed on the altar of shareholder primacy
What began in 2004 as a history of United Grain Growers (UGG) founded in 1906, morphed into a chronicling of the birth and death of the West’s farmer-owned, co-operative grain companies and an investigation and challenging of the notion of shareholder primacy, which delivered the final blow to farmer dominance in the grain business and […] Read more
Western grain movement, export records set in 2018-19 crop year
The 2018-19 crop year, ended July 31, was record setting for Western Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system. While industry officials are pleased, they agree the system needs to move even more because farmers keep producing more. “At the rate we are going today… by the time we get to 2030 we’re going to be looking […] Read more
For the first time in 20 years, Manitoba shipped more grain through the Port of Thunder Bay than Saskatchewan. “Historically, Manitoba grain has accounted for about a third of the grain shipments through Thunder Bay,” Chris Heikkinen, the port’s communications and research co-ordinator, said in an email Nov. 5. “This has changed over the past […] Read more
