Jake Kraayenbrink developed the AgriBrink tire deflation system to reduce soil compaction from heavy equipment. After successful sales in Canada and Europe, he recently moved to Iowa to market the system in the U.S.

Passion for soil health drives Ontario innovator

On-farm innovation award winner has developed not one but two useful systems to help farmers

Jake Kraayenbrink is passionate about soil health — so much so that he’s spent the better part of the past 15 years developing an innovative tire deflation system that helps farmers reduce soil compaction risks from heavy equipment. It’s on the market today in Canada, Europe, the U.K. and New Zealand under the AgriBrink brand. […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Mosaic misses profit estimate amid lower demand for fertilizers

Reuters — Mosaic Co. on Wednesday became the latest fertilizer maker to miss fourth-quarter profit estimates amid lower demand for potash and other crop fertilizers, pushing shares down 2.2 per cent in extended trading. Although prices of fertilizers such as phosphates and potash decreased toward the end of last year, it did not boost demand […] Read more

Nutrien’s head office building in Saskatoon. (Liam O’Connor photo)

Nutrien misses profit estimates amid higher fertilizer prices

CF Industries also books lower sales

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien on Wednesday forecast lower-than-expected 2023 earnings and posted fourth-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates, sending shares down 2.6 per cent in extended trading. While higher fertilizer prices dented demand in early second-half of last year, a fall in prices later in the year did not boost demand as farmers […] Read more

Cargo ship Despina V, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos near Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 2, 2022.  (Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Russia says sanctions a barrier to Black Sea grain deal renewal

Reuters — Russia said Monday it would be “inappropriate” to extend the Black Sea grain deal unless sanctions affecting its agricultural exports are lifted and other issues are resolved. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine last July, created a safe corridor to allow grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports blockaded […] Read more

Eastern Canadian grain growers call on feds to act on fertilizer ahead of planting

Eastern Canadian grain growers call on feds to act on fertilizer ahead of planting

Eastern Canadian grain growers are asking the federal government to immediately return fertilizer tariff monies, help farmers source alternative plant nutrition products and the removal of any impediments on supply chains immediately in the following open letter: To: The Government of Canada Over the last year, Eastern Canadian farmers have done everything they can to […] Read more


The Mosaic Co. potash mine at Colonsay, Sask., southeast of Saskatoon. (MosaicInCanada.com)

Mosaic says stockpiles too high to restart Saskatchewan mine

Company expects Russia, Belarus 2023 potash exports at 2022 level

Winnipeg | Reuters — Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. does not currently see the right market conditions to restart its idled Saskatchewan potash mine, with high inventories in the U.S. and Brazil and cold weather slowing trains from Canada, CEO Joc O’Rourke said Wednesday. Mosaic curtailed potash production in December at its Colonsay, Sask. mine, but […] Read more

Pushing soybean yields a constant refrain

Pushing soybean yields a constant refrain

Trends and research indicate maturity and season length are most important

As the cash price on soybeans holds just under $20 per bushel, growers want to know how to push yields higher. That was the message they wanted to hear as the Ontario Agricultural Conference began Jan.4. The event began with “Sizzlin’ Soybeans!” with Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and […] Read more

Norm Lamothe, who had the highest-yielding wheat crop in the 2022 YEN competition, says he has seen the benefits of adding small grains into his crop rotation.

How to grow better wheat

Participants in 2022 YEN competition share their strategies

There’s more than one way to grow high-yielding wheat, but focusing on soil health and measuring the impact of different practices are places to start. Those are two things that grain producers Norm Lamothe and Andy Timmerman of Cavan and Stratford, as well as Jeffery Krohn from Elkton, Michigan, say have helped improve their wheat […] Read more


Farment BioSolutions uses a combination of naturally occurring bacteria with nitrogen-fixing capabilities and fermentation to make farm-based nutrients, like manure, more efficient.

Biological nitrogen voted among most investable clean tech ventures

Farment BioSolutions one of eight agriculture tech companies selected for Foresight 50

A B.C.-based start-up that combines nitrogen-fixing bacteria and fermentation to create biological nitrogen has been named as one of Canada’s most investable cleantech ventures.  Farment BioSolutions Ltd. is one of eight agriculture-focused technology companies included on the 2022 Foresight 50 list. The list is compiled annually by Canadian cleantech accelerator Foresight and is designed to […] Read more

File photo of vessels on the Mississippi River south of New Orleans on Nov. 5, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Low Mississippi River threatens grain exports

Industry says Canadian fertilizer supplies aren’t threatened, but falling water levels significantly hamper crop shipments

Low water levels on the Mississippi River in the United States could have an impact on corn and other grain prices, but are unlikely to affect fertilizer deliveries into Canada, officials say. The Mississippi River is considered low if the stage falls below five feet in Memphis, Tennessee. On Oct. 20 it hit a record […] Read more