Strong sales and high prices generated record returns for Prairie grain farmers from the Canadian Wheat Board this past year. The CWB ended the 2007-08 grain year with a record $8.4 billion in gross pool receipts for wheat and barley. The net return to farmers after marketing costs is $7.8 billion, board chairman Larry Hill
CWB ends 2007-08 with record pool revenue
Cattle producers earn less than their ancestors
Canadian cow-calf and feeder operators are receiving only half as much for their cattle as their parents and grandparents did, according to a new study. And it’s mainly because of powerful packers and an overdependence on the U. S. export market, the study by the National Farmers Union concludes. The report, released on the eve
World fertilizer prices down, farmers pay same
John Beckham knows world wholesale prices for fertilizer have dropped precipitously lately. But when he asks his fertilizer sales representative if retail prices will do the same, the man plays coy and pretends to know nothing about it. Beckham is not surprised. He knows agri-retailers are sitting on piles of expensive fertilizer they bought months
COOL to slash Manitoba weanling production
“Half of the weanlings could be gone by next summer.” – KARL KYNOCH Manitoba’s multimillion-dollar weanling pig industry could be cut in half next year because of the recent U. S. country-of-origin meat labelling rule. The Manitoba Pork Council predicts weanling production could fall to two million head in 2009, down from four million projected
California resolution rings alarm for livestock farmers in Canada
Largely unnoticed during the November 4 U. S. presidential election was the passage of a sweeping California ballot initiative which could have far-reaching effects for livestock production in North America. Proposition 2 will effectively ban gestation stalls, battery cages and veal crates in California by 2015. The initiative, which voters passed by a margin of
Poultry industry’s genetic stock dwindling
“We have a commodity at risk because it has a narrow genetic base.” – Bill Muir, Purdue University If you’re old enough, you can probably remember a variety of hens – Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, all with differentcoloured plumage – strutting about the farmyard. During the week they laid eggs. On Sunday,
U. S. election raises protectionist fears
Canadian agriculture officials fear an increased wave of U. S. trade protectionism following last week’s election of a Democratic president and a heavily Democratic Congress. Fairly or otherwise, Democrats are viewed outside the United States as much more protectionist than free -trade Republicans. The temptation to protect jobs at home becomes especially strong as the
Social marketing comes to the farm
Ever wonder why, when you’re Googling the Internet, certain advertisements appear on the computer screen as if they’re anticipating you? It’s not an accident. Google knows which websites you visit and tailors ads according to what it thinks your interests might be. Let’s say you’re a farmer surfing the Net. You might see herbicide ads
Hog co-op sees a small but reliable American market
“It keeps our feet inside the American border.” – JOHN PREUN, MANITOBA PORK MARKETING CO-OP Manitoba pork producers could soon be part owners of a hog slaughter plant in North Dakota. The Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op may join a group of hog farmers from northern U. S. states in taking majority ownership of a small
Wildlife cull an option
The federal government may reduce the number of elk and deer in Riding Mountain National Park to control tuberculosis in the wildlife population. Parks Canada is considering a wildlife cull in the western end of the park because of a persistently high rate of TB there. The move, if it happens, would be a major
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
