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U.S. lawmakers want risks posed by Chinese agriculture drones addressed

Reuters – A dozen U.S. lawmakers on Friday urged the Biden administration to address the use of Chinese manufactured agriculture drones, saying their use on American farms poses national security risks. The House Republicans, including Representatives Elise Stefanik, Ashley Hinson and John Moolenaar, who chairs a select committee on China, asked the U.S. Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity […] Read more

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USDA forecasts smaller drop in 2024 farm income

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm income will fall for a second consecutive year in 2024, but not as much as previously expected as prices of livestock and egg products boom and production expenses ease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. Declining farm income could ripple across the rural economy in a presidential […] Read more

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U.S. to spend $7.3 billion on rural clean energy projects

Reuters – President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday said the U.S. will spend $7.3 billion from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act to fund clean energy projects helmed by rural electric cooperatives. The 16 funded projects will reduce energy costs and increase reliability for rural Americans, who tend to pay more for energy, the White House said. […] Read more

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Prairie forecast: Weak systems make for tricky forecast

Forecast issued Aug. 14, covering Aug. 14 to 21, 2024

The slack or weak pattern looks to continue into much of next week, which makes it difficult to pinpoint which areas could see showers or thunderstorms, and on which days. Best chances for precipitation look to be over the eastern Prairies. This type of pattern also makes it difficult to predict where forest fire smoke will be.


“One of the things we learned early in this process as a small investor is the companies we commit to found credibility in the fact that an organization such as ours had invested in them.” – Katie Giddy.

How an agriculture society boosts farm innovation

Grand River Agricultural Society is investing in farm technology businesses

Agricultural societies have long been part of the fabric of rural life in Ontario, but one such organization is changing how it supports agriculture. Philanthropy, particularly support for innovation and the future of the agriculture industry, has become a core part of the Elora, Ont.-based Grand River Agricultural Society. That includes making investments into early-stage […] Read more

Cultivator offers an ag tech accelerator program for early-stage start-ups looking to expand their business models and products.

Ag tech accelerator connects start-ups with producers and business experts

Cultivator continues to expand its offerings to help ag tech founders flourish

The road to commercialization success for an agricultural innovation entrepreneur is neither short nor straight. It can be hard to find the necessary funding, overcome regulatory barriers, or access all the necessary skills and resources to go from idea to sellable product.  That’s where the Saskatchewan-based Cultivator, Canada’s first credit union-led tech incubator, is helping […] Read more



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Prairie forecast: Temperatures to warm up

Forecast issued Aug. 7, covering Aug. 7 to 14, 2024

For this forecast period, it's looking like the forecasted strong area of high pressure is going to dominate the weather across the Prairies. This should bring plenty of sunshine and warming temperatures. Overnight lows look to be seasonable, so at this point it doesn't look like we'll see heat warnings—but as usual you just never know.