The prevalence of temporary foreign workers has grown since the program was launched in the 1970s, with an estimated three in 10 agricultural businesses hiring foreign workers in 2023.  Photo: gomezdavid/iStock/Getty Images

Improvements to temporary foreign worker program recommended: CFIB

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) may help alleviate persistent labour shortages in Canada’s agricultural sector, but adjustments to the system would increase efficiencies and create better alignment with the practical needs of agri-businesses, according to new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) that includes several recommendations for policy makers. “While government is reviewing

Photo: File

Cattle producers wary of grasslands conservation proposal

Glacier FarmMedia – Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association members want the Canadian Cattle Association to press pause on its Grasslands Conservation Initiative until it can better communicate its plan. Several resolutions about the initiative were debated during the SSGA annual meeting June 11 and while some were defeated members did approve one calling on CCA to


A seeding unit sits parked in a field north of Winnipeg, Man., due to wet field conditions on June, 6, 2024.  Photo: Greg Berg

Manitoba seeding nears completion: report

Manitoba farmers made good seeding progress in early June despite wet conditions, with 92 per cent of intended acres in the ground – up nine points from the previous week, according to the latest provincial crop report for the week ended June 11. Spring cereals, peas, and grain corn were approximately 97 per cent complete.

Manitoba Law Courts building.  Photo: Don Norman

Former Manitoba man sues Bayer for causing his cancer

A Calgary man who lived on a farm in Carman, Man., as a child has filed a lawsuit saying chemicals he was exposed to resulted in a cancer diagnosis. The plaintiffs in the case are Kevin Giesbrecht and his common-law spouse, Jennifer McAlpine, who now live in Calgary. According to court documents, Giesbrecht lived on


Seeding progression in 2024 compared to previous years.

Seeding progress in Manitoba passes 90 per cent mark

Manitoba Crop Report: Issue 7

Despite the wet conditions, seeding progress was made throughout much of the province last week and is estimated to be 92 per cent complete. Spring cereals, peas, and grain corn are approximately 97 per cent complete. Canola and soybean planting advanced, with 88 per cent of canola acres and 92 per cent of soybean acres

A helicopter dumps water on a forest fire in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.  Photo: Thinkstock

Canada forecasts hotter-than-average summer as peak wildfire season nears

Reuters – Canada is expecting a hotter-than-usual summer with slightly below-average precipitation in central Canada, government officials said on Tuesday, offering little relief from ongoing drought and the risk of another bad wildfire season. Last year, Canada experienced its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15 million hectares, an area roughly seven


Row of pork carcasses at meat factory

Mode40 brings AI technology to the meat locker

Developing AI-based system promises optimal carcass cooling

Artificial intelligence is digging footholds in agriculture and agribusiness, from crop and herd monitoring to traceability and weed management. For one Manitoba-born company, AI has become a tool for carcass quality control in the meat sector. Cameron Bergen is chief executive officer and co-founder of mode40, a technology services company that helps manufacturing organizations update

With the higher taxes leading to increased costs for transferring a farm to the next generation, “this puts the family farm at risk,” says the Executive Director of Grain Growers of Canada.  Photo: MJ_Prototype/iStock/Getty Images

Family farms at risk from higher capital gains rates: GGC

[UPDATED: June 11, 2024] Glacier FarmMedia – Looming changes to Canada’s capital gains inclusion rates will increase average taxes by 30 per cent on the country’s family-run grain farms, putting their futures at risk, according to research conducted by the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC). “Our research shows that an average grain farm in Canada,