Alberta’s ag sector will be key in rebuilding the province’s economy once the pandemic is over, says the director of research for economics at ATB Financial. “Overall, I think one of the bright spots in a really dark economic situation in the province is our agriculture and agri-food sector,” Rob Roach said. “It’s still producing. […] Read more
Ag industry a potential ‘bright spot,’ post-pandemic
Agriculture could lead economic rebuild, ATB official says
Safety protocols in place for farmers’ grain deliveries
Grain moving as normal, but farmers need to practice social distancing when delivering to elevators
Grain deliveries to country elevators should continue without any disruptions, the executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association says. “All of the members of the Western Grain Elevator Association are doing everything in their power to keep the grain supply chain functioning” during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Wade Sobkowich said Tuesday. “That means we’ll […] Read more
No delays expected in fertilizer distribution
National fertilizer association doesn't expect any disruptions to deliveries
Should farmers expect delays to fertilizer deliveries heading into spring seeding? “Not if we can help it,” Fertilizer Canada CEO Garth Whyte said Thursday.”We’ve weathered all the rail system disruptions that we had over the last six months, and now, with COVID-19, we’re doing OK. “We’ve put contingency plans in at our manufacturing plants, at […] Read more
No Prairie farm fuel shortages expected in pandemic
Continuity plans in place to keep fuel moving
Prairie farmers shouldn’t see a disruption to their farm fuel distribution as a result of COVID-19 safety measures. “Our members are committed to minimizing disruptions to the Canadian fuel supply as a result of the pandemic response,” Canadian Fuels Association spokesperson Jason Vaillant said in an email. “Our members are working tirelessly to maintain operations […] Read more
Three young Alta. sisters lost to grain truck mishap
Rocky Mountain House | AFE — A community in central Alberta is in mourning following the deaths of three young sisters in a grain truck mishap on Tuesday night. “This is hitting us all very hard. Frontline responders are routinely called out to sad situations, but things are always harder when there’s children involved,” said […] Read more
Three things to read in your grain contract
Do you read your grain contracts from front to back? If so, you’re one of the few who do. A University of Manitoba study found only 17 per cent of Canadian farmers read their whole grain contracts — and that’s a mistake, says a grain industry expert. “For every grain buyer out there, the terms […] Read more
Alta. biosecurity funding boosted under PED pressure
Alberta Farmer Express — As Alberta’s hog industry braces for the seemingly inevitable arrival of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), the province has announced an early opening to a program to boost on-farm biosecurity. “Even though we do have some connections with feed now, biosecurity is still our best tool in preventing the spread of PED,” said […] Read more
Record-high snowfalls cause over a dozen barn collapses in central Alta.
The roof on Ken Munro’s machine shed looked fine when he drove past it on his way to work one morning earlier this month. But a text from his son told a different story. “It had collapsed in the middle of the night,” said Munro, an Innisfail-area grain farmer. Since early December, more than a […] Read more
Beef industry leaders urged to unite for common good
The leaders of Canada’s fractured beef sector need to work together and the rest of the industry needs to chip in more dollars for marketing and research, says a new report from a high-level task force. “We need to think as an industry, not just as sector components,” said marketing specialist Kim McConnell, one of […] Read more
Canada’s appeal against COOL gaining U.S. support
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has one thing to say about country-of-origin labelling (COOL): “It’s not cool.” In the midst of an appeal at the World Trade Organization to quash COOL in the United States, Ritz has been working to gain supporters in the U.S. in an effort to halt non-science-based trade practices that could […] Read more
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