Latest Newsletter

The skeletal foundation of a grain silo stands on an abandoned South African farm given to a group of aspiring black farmers 
over a decade ago near Edenville, South Africa.
News

White farmer’s role highlights South Africa’s land reform challenge

Many black farmers can’t deal with the national agriculture bank directly because they have no land tenure

By
Reuters – Earlier this year, Nick Serfontein wrote an open letter to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asking him to take the views of white farmers on board as the government considers expropriating land without compensation to reduce rural poverty. Now Serfontein sits on a 10-person board advising the president where to go next, based […] Read more
(Hanieriani/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Machinery

Producers vulnerable to cyber attacks

By
CNS Canada — Phishing attacks, data theft and data manipulation are a few of the dangers producers face when using digital technology. Two experts on the subject, Adrienne Ehrhardt of Michael Best and Friedrich and Doug Tait of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman spoke about the importance of cyber security on farms at last week’s Grain World […] Read more
Dave Hooker (r) and Matt Stewart discuss one of their cover crop research trials during an update event at Ridgetown College, October 23.
Crops

Evaluating cover crops for the long term

Too early to assess corn and wheat yields, but the benefits to tomatoes already seem clear

By
It’s widely recognized that cover crops boost soil organic matter, but their long-term agronomic and economic benefits are less well understood. Researchers at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown and Elora campuses have undertaken some long-term studies to identify the impacts of cover crops in some growing conditions and management styles common to southwestern Ontario. Why […] Read more
(GDTerminal.com)
Crops, Machinery

Gardiner Dam Terminal set to go full Viterra

By
The farmers who own half of central Saskatchewan’s Gardiner Dam Terminal have reached a deal to sell their half to their business partner and wind up the company. Glencore Agriculture’s Viterra arm announced Friday it will buy the half of GDT it doesn’t already own and take over operation of the GDT inland grain terminal […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

U.S. judge orders next glyphosate cancer trial for March

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Reuters — A California judge on Thursday granted an expedited trial for March in the case of a couple suffering from cancer who sued Bayer’s Monsanto unit, alleging the company’s glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup caused their disease. The order by Superior Court Judge Ioana Petrou in Oakland, Calif. comes on the heels of a $289 million […] Read more
Eric Hakizimana, 27, poses with chickens at his home in eastern Rwanda on August 23, 2018.
News

Young entrepreneurs lend glamour to African agriculture

Africa has the world’s youngest population and 65 per cent of its uncultivated arable land

By
Thomson Reuters Foundation – In a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, expertly navigating eastern Rwanda’s bumpy back roads in a white four-wheel drive, Dieudonne Twahirwa looks nothing like the stereotypical African farmer. The 30-year-old owner of Gashora Farm knows what a difference that makes. “You need more role models,” he said, standing among knee-high rows of […] Read more
Cargill’s ag input centre at Harrow, Ont., will need to find a new owner under order from federal regulators. (VisitHarrow.ca)
Crops

La Coop federee’s Ontario grain play cleared

By
La Coop federee’s plans to expand into southern Ontario’s grain handling and crop input retail sectors are now down by four retail sites. The federal Competition Bureau said Tuesday it has an agreement in place for its approval of a deal which will see Cargill’s Ontario grain and ag retail outlets and its joint-venture stake […] Read more
(CanopyGrowth.com)
Crops

Pot firm Canopy’s loss widens as spending surges

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Reuters — Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly net loss on Wednesday as it ramped up spending in the run up to the legalization of recreational use of pot in mid-October, sending its shares down nine per cent. Marijuana companies in Canada have been pouring cash into their businesses to both fend […] Read more
Most small organic producers sell some of their goods at farmers’ markets.
Crops, News

Ontario organic bill again introduced in legislature

Survey shows barriers exist to small-producer certification

By
The creation of organic regulations for Ontario is getting a third chance. A private members bill to create organic regulations was tabled Nov. 12 in the Ontario legislature by Progressive Conservative Jim McDonell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry. Why it matters: There are national organic standards that apply to products sold across provincial borders, but no […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast