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Columns

Ian gets to know his new baby sister Anna.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Eppich family welcomes a baby girl

Cold temperatures a challenge for the ranch and keeping vehicles going

By
January had a few surprises for us. Our newest addition was due on Jan. 4. Being that he/she was our fourth child and all but our first son came between eight and 10 days early, we were expecting a Christmas baby. On Christmas Day, Barb had a Christmas dinner for us and Gregory’s siblings. After […] Read more
The U.S. calf crop for 2023 came in at 33.593 million head, down 846,500 from the 2022 calf crop of 34.44 million.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Lower U.S. calf crop supports cattle complex

Conditions are developing that should support record calf prices next fall

By
The Alberta fed cattle market remains under pressure due to a buildup of market-ready cattle, larger carcass weights and seasonally low demand. During the last week of January, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $360-$365 per hundredweight delivered. Live bids f.o.b. feedlot in southern Alberta were quoted […] Read more
Would you be able to sit with your thoughts and feelings just a while to consider how you are aging and managing in place on your farm?
Columns, Farm Life

Being an emotionally strong farm parent

Strong-willed and independent people might consider a self-coaching approach

By
Tis the season of farm meetings, where the speakers will talk about business and “keeping the emotion” out of business using data to make concrete decisions. I don’t debate this approach for grain marketing, but I highly doubt stuffing emotions on the farm creates clarity of expectations or happy outcomes. Recently I met Carolyn Stern, […] Read more
Just two per cent of the total companies in the S&P 500 index now represent 32 per cent of the entire index by market value.
Columns, Global markets, Home Quarter Investing, Markets

Economic and market outlook for 2024

If the U.S. avoids recession, Canada's will probably be shallow

By
It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” One of my favorite prediction quotes comes by way of the legendary baseball player, manager and philosopher, Yogi Berra. This quote, like many of his famous quips, incorporates a meaningful paradox. Following up on my previous column, the TSX ended 2023 with a total return — […] Read more
A combine harvests wheat in September 1952 at the Matador Co-operative farm in what's now the RM of Lacadena, about 65 km north of Swift Current, Sask.
Columns, Weather

Precipitation cycles: When will the dry cycle end?

There's no way to predict from here what the 2024 growing season will provide

By
Many farmers in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones of the Palliser Triangle have spent a few years now looking at the sky and hoping for rain. In some areas the snowmelt went straight to soil moisture and was a big factor in providing something for the trucker to do. But multiple years with […] Read more
Researchers now recommend allowing one or two years between terminating an old alfalfa stand and reseeding.
Columns, Forages, Practical Tips

Alfalfa replant disease and related disorders

Whatever the cause, we can realize it's a problem and try to avoid it

By
Back in the 1980s I spent a lot of time on alfalfa diseases, particularly the verticillium wilt disease problem that was spreading across the Prairies, particularly in southern Alberta. In a few snow-free and cold Decembers in those years, a lot of damage was done to alfalfa, winterkilling entire fields of three-year-old stands. Even white […] Read more
Beef cows’ TDN energy maintenance requirements generally increase about two per cent for every degree Celsius drop in temperature below freezing.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Beef cows in good condition, feed accordingly

Optimize cows' condition with target diets based on the animals' BCS

By
A warm start to winter has caused many beef cows after weaning to come off pasture in decent shape. Some of these cows are not truly obese, but they retained a lot of flesh. Those beef cows in optimum body condition should be put on a nutritious feeding program that maintains them until they calve […] Read more
When commercial and managed-money positions are at an extreme low or high, that represents a turning signal for the market.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Understanding the Commitments of Traders report

The U.S. report, released every Friday, is an important indicator of cattle market movement

By
Who is long? Who is short? How much of each? This is the most important market information when studying the futures markets. The Commitments of Traders (CoT) report is released every Friday afternoon by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and shows the trading positions of market participants as of Tuesday’s close. Whether you […] Read more
Grated and diced apples can add texture to muffins.
Apples, Columns, Farm Life

Winter fruit, part 3: The versatility of apples

Apples add character to a dish, even when not the star ingredient

By
I first saw Meryl Streep in 1979 in Kramer vs. Kramer and then in Sophie’s Choice. Both earned her Oscars. A wonderful string of movies followed: Manhattan, Silkwood, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Hours and Out of Africa, to name a few. In 1990 at the Screen Actors’ Guild national women’s conference, Streep spoke out […] Read more
a robot working in a greenhouse
Columns, Editor's column, Equipment

Editor’s Rant: All hail Skynet

By
Well, folks, my longtime colleague Lee Hart has done something even more impressive than usual over on page 14. Over the years I’ve read articles and columns in this paper that have left me concerned for farmers, concerned for their crops and livestock, concerned for my RRSPs and concerned for the economy, but his article […] Read more

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