Agripod

The current estimate for the drought reduced canola crop is 12.8 million tonnes . . . but those numbers could change. Market analyst Mike Jubinville is projecting Canadian canola exports will be less than half of the usual 10 million tonnes. He explains how this will affect the canola crushing industry which is very important this country. The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association has developed a...

Grocery Prices are Rising. But the farmers' share continues to shrink. National Farmers Union Vice President Stewart Wells says corporate processors and retailers are the ones benefiting. Wells will explain consumers need to know that less and less of the money they spend on food actually makes it back to the farmer and retail food prices are high because meat packers, other large processors,...

There is a growing disparity along the beef supply chain . . . with consumers paying more at the front end and cow/calf producers getting less money on the back end. Throw in high feed costs and the threat of a strike at Cargill's High River Alberta Beef Processing Plant . . . and there is a lot of dis-satisfaction on the farm. Livestock producer and chair of the Alberta Beef Producers Melanie Wow...

Ask any farmer - it doesn’t matter what the commodity prices are if you have no crop to sell. Those short supplies have meant record commodity prices. Neil Townsend of FarmLink Marketing Solutions says there is going to be very high prices this winter on canola, wheat, and barley. Neil will share some thoughts on what to expect in early 2022.   An outspoken advocate and dedicated resear...

The Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ Association has warned farmers that seed supply will be tight in 2022. Drought had an impact on seed production. But grain contracts that need to be filled might tempt seed growers to take grain to the elevator instead of keeping it as seed. Todd Hyra with SeCan talks about how seed production was impacted this year and gives some advice for producers who are s...

A report released by Agri-Food Economic Systems suggests the declining number of mid-sized farms in Canada jeopardises the rural institutions that have traditionally supported farms and farm families. The report explores the potential consequences of the decline in the number of small and, especially, medium-sized farms. Research Lead Dr. Al Mussell will share the results of the report how it impa...

Farmers are seeing the benefits in cover crops. That's according to a University of Manitoba survey reflecting the growing use of cover crops on the Prairies. Callum Morrison, a graduate student at the U of M, created the survey alongside Professor Yvonne Lawley. Morrison says this practice is in the early stage of adoption on the Prairies, there’s not that much information availab...

Farm Credit Canada says, all things considered, 2020 was a pretty good year for Canadian agriculture and food exporters. Chief Economist J.P. Gervais will tell us how Canada’s agriculture and food industry has shown resilience during the pandemic and has the potential to emerge from this even stronger. Canada had the highest year-over-year increase for agriculture commodity exports at 13.8 p...

A new research report was released discussing the needs of Indigenous agricultural producers. Farm Management Canada executive director Heather Watson said Indigenous business owners from across the country talked about what would be helpful to them.  In the last episode of Agripod, Heather discussed the five recommendations that came from the survey. She will discuss how these recommendation...

Farm Management Canada has released a research report investigating the business management needs of Indigenous agricultural producers. "The Path Forward” was made possible through the participation of Indigenous agricultural business owners from across the who participated in surveys, focus groups, and interviews. FMC executive director Heather Watson said they were able to create a picture...

Farmers across Western Canada have received or are awaiting the results of their soil tests in order to make important decisions about fertilizer applications for the year ahead. Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Warren Ward says without soil testing, producers are guessing how much nutrients are in the soil and how much fertilizer is needed to hit target yields. He explains how soil sa...

A new report is warning of the potential loss in farm incomes in the billions of dollars if proposed fertilizer reductions come to pass. Meyers Norris Penny compiled the report which stated cutting fertilizer use to reduce on-farm emissions could cost growers nearly $48 billion over the next eight years. Karen Proud with Fertilizer Canada said under Canada’s A Healthy Environment and a Healt...

Crop yields have been seriously impacted by this year's hot weather and lack of rainfall. As a result, many farmers will not be able to meet their contractual obligations to grain companies simply because they don't have the product to sell. Saskatchewan's NDP opposition sent a letter to the government asking them to take immediate action to protect producers who are unable to fulfill the terms of...

Ross McKenzie is a retired soil and crop research scientist with Alberta Agriculture. Ross shared a Tweet where he explained soil sampling to check for nutrient carryover would be important this year in order to prepare for the 2022 crop. On the last episode Ross shared why it’s important to sample at the right time. He's back to give some guidelines for sampling and gives a list of labs tha...

The dry conditions prompted a retired soil scientist to send out a tweet telling farmers they need to soil sample this fall to understand what the nutrient carryover will be next spring. Smaller yields likely mean the fertilizer applied in the spring was not used up and could be available for next years crop. Ross McKenzie will explain how the soil test could possibly save farmers money at seeding...

Herbicide resistance is the ability of an individual plant to survive a herbicide application that would kill a normal population of the same species. Resistant weeds can often survive application of herbicide at rates that are much greater than the recommended rate. Farmer Josh Lade said there is new technology available to deal with this problem. He'll explain the Seed Terminator, how its being...

Herbicide resistance is a growing concern and one of those biggest worries is with wild oats. In fact, the Herbicide Resistant Wild Oat action committee found roughly 69% of wild oat across the prairies display herbicide resistance. Farmer Josh Lade saw the devastating effects of herbicide resistance in his home country of Australia and now farming in west central Saskatchewan he has been dealing...

Do More Ag Foundation says more and more farmers are reaching out and asking for help because of the devastating effects of drought. The dry and hot conditions have impacted both the cattle and grain side. Executive Director Adele Stewart says farmers need to be supported and encouraged to take care of their mental well being now and, in the days, to come. I talked to Adelle last fall about the wo...

The drought conditions in Western Canada and other parts of the country have caused a great deal of stress for producers. There will be crop losses. Now farmers are worried about filling grain and oilseed contracts. Senior commodity analyst Wayne Palmer says the situation is dire and producers need to be proactive in dealing with those contracts. A new app is showing how shelterbelts are helping t...

The prairies are dry.  While some farmers are dealing with this drought for the first year several ranchers have been struggling through these conditions for a number of years. Tamara Carter is the president of the Saskatchewan Forage Council and farms near Lacadena, Sask. She talks about how they are coping on her farm and why its more important then ever for farmers and ranchers to support...

Indigenous Works is a national organization tasked with helping to create opportunities for indigenous companies. President and CEO Kelly Lendsay says part of that has been to increase indigenous engagement in agri-business. Kelly will talk about the work of the organization and a new project to develop a national strategy to improve diversity and inclusion of Indigenous groups in the Canadian agr...

4-H youth members across the country now have access to a new mental health activity kit. Unbox Your Mind is part of the broader Healthy Living Initiative. 4-H Canada chief marketing officer Liz Jarvis says the resource will empower youth to get to know themselves better and find mental health practices and solutions that best fit their unique needs. Liz will also share how 4-H Canada has been mov...

The agribusiness industry in Canada faced many challenges. Labour shortages, competition from foreign players, rising land costs, shifting weather patterns, and of course, the pandemic. A report from KPMG says the future agriculture depends on its willingness to embrace technology and ultimately build a more sustainable, resilient system. David Guthrie, national agribusiness sector leader for KPMG...

To help farmers and agri-businesses find new ways to make their operations more sustainable the federal government has created the Agricultural Clean Technology Program. $50 million of the $165 million designated for the program will go specifically towards the purchase of more efficient grain dryers. Are there products out there that can meet the guidelines set out in the program. Triple Green Pr...

The return to normalcy in the in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is fuelling some of the highest hog prices in years. North American live hog prices, pressured by changing consumption patterns and reduced processing capacity, have rebounded dramatically since this time one year ago, driven in part, by the reopening of the U.S. economy. Tyler Fulton, the Director of Risk Management with HAMS Mark...