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Crops

Late-season snowstorm brings Prairies moisture

CNS Canada — After a winter spent waiting for snow, farmers across the southern Prairies were happy when the forecast was right and Western Canada received a late winter snowstorm. “We’ve heard moisture’s coming before and it doesn’t show up or it goes around us. So when it started snowing and it started adding up […] Read more
There are many different types of cover crop mixes being tried across North America. Photo: John Greig
Crops

Follow nature or not?

Farmers and researchers differ on whether nature is the best guide for cropping practices

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On Rick Bieber’s farm in South Dakota, he works hard to follow the rhythms and cycles of nature in his cropping and livestock system. He uses diverse cover crops and livestock to cycle nutrients and keep living roots in the soil as much as possible. From Andrew McGuire’s perspective, Bieber may not be creating the […] Read more
Dave McEachren plants corn into a biostrip on his Glencoe-area farm. Photo: John Greig
Crops, Machinery

Tilling with plants

Biostrips provide a way for no-till farmers to create more mellow planting strips without tillage

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It’s strip-till for no-tillers – with no tillage. Sound confusing? Really, it’s not. Just ask Dave McEachren, or Dustin Mulock. The farmers both use biostrips to get some of their fields ready for planting. The results they’ve seen so far mean they will continue the soil-saving practice on their farms. What it means: Strip tillage, where […] Read more
(Sleeman.ca)
Crops

Sleeman investing to bring back production from U.S.

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Canada’s third-biggest national brewer plans upgrades at its southwestern Ontario plant, with which it plans to bring back some production it now contracts out to a U.S. brewery. Guelph-based Sleeman Breweries, owned since 2006 by Japanese brewer Sapporo, announced Monday it will invest $6.61 million to expand packaging capability, put up new beer tanks and […] Read more
Emma Francis is enrolled in the current Specialized High Skills Major in agriculture at Mitchell District High School and is doing her co-op placement at a sheep farm. Photo: Courtesy Sandi Brock
News

A new approach to agriculture high skills majors

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A new, more immersive high skills major in agriculture will bring secondary school students from across the Avon Maitland school board to one location, to study with students with a similar interest. Why it matters: High skills majors have been around since 2006, including some in agriculture, but they still struggle to get enough students […] Read more
(JMSmucker.com)
Crops

Smucker drops bid to buy Wesson Oil after U.S. objects

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Washington | Reuters — J.M. Smucker Co. said on Tuesday it will abandon its plan to acquire Conagra Brands’ Wesson Oil brand after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had moved to block the deal arguing it would likely lessen competition and violate anti-trust law. Mark Smucker, CEO of J.M. Smucker, said “it is not in […] Read more
(CanniMedTherapeutics.com)
Crops

Pot firm Aurora’s CanniMed deal gets regulatory nod

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Reuters — Canada’s No. 2 marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis on Wednesday received final regulatory approval for the purchase of smaller rival CanniMed Therapeutics, which would make it the world’s most valuable weed producer. The approval of the $1.1 billion deal from the Competition Bureau follows months of tensions between the companies and comes at a […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

U.S. judge halts California plan for warnings on glyphosate

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Chicago | Reuters — A federal judge has temporarily blocked California’s plans to require cancer warnings on products containing glyphosate, in a win for manufacturer Monsanto. U.S. District Judge William Shubb said the warnings would be misleading because glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, according to court documents filed on Monday in California. He […] Read more
Sea surface temperature anomalies (in degrees Celsius) over the equatorial Pacific for the week centred on Feb. 21. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)
Crops

Spring outlook cooler for Prairies, warmer for Ontario

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Growers in parts of Ontario may get an early start on planting this spring, while Prairie fields may see lingering snow and later-than-average last frosts. WeatherFarm’s spring forecast, powered by U.S.-based DTN Progressive Farmer, projects a cold start to the spring as likely for the western half of Canada, reversing the milder conditions shown over […] Read more
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in Norway in 2008, is the world’s largest secure seed storage site. (Matthias Heyde photo courtesy Government of Norway via Flickr)
Crops

Norway to upgrade ‘doomsday’ seed vault

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Oslo | Reuters — Norway plans to spend 100 million Norwegian crowns (C$16.1 million) to upgrade a doomsday seed vault on an Arctic island built 10 years ago to protect the world’s food supplies, the government said on Friday. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is meant as a natural deep freeze to back up the […] Read more

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