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Ag chem industry watching COVID-19’s spread

MarketsFarm –– China is a major producer of agricultural chemicals — and disruptions to production would have a ripple effect on North American supplies of crop protection inputs, such as herbicides and insecticides. Plant closures and transportation issues due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are being followed closely, but the Canadian industry is reportedly […] Read more

An idle CN train is parked next to an empty Via Rail commuter station at Trenton, Ont. on Feb. 25, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

CN starts calling back laid-off employees

"Network recovery... will take several weeks"

Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway has started calling back many of the 450 workers it laid off earlier this month in Eastern Canada, when blockades crippled operations on strategic rail lines, according to a company email sent to customers Friday. Earlier this week, police made 10 arrests and cleared a blockade in eastern […] Read more


Spring runoff flows through a control structure on the Assiniboine River near Portage la Prairie, Man. in 2014. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Chances of flooding in Manitoba depend on weather

MarketsFarm — Manitoba has issued its spring thaw forecast of 2020 — with high water levels coming for the Red River. That’s due to significant soil moisture levels left over from the fall and above-normal snow levels in the river’s U.S. watershed. “Our focus is currently on the Red River, where we are expecting a […] Read more

Producer panel at the Regenerative Agriculture Forum organized by the Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association in Brandon in November. 
L to R: Arron Nerbas, Brooks White, Scott Wolfe. 


Tips and tricks for regenerative agriculture

Producers and agronomists take questions on regenerative ag at a Manitoba Forum

Interested in regenerative agriculture, and how you might implement it on your farm? The Regenerative Agriculture Forum organized by the Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association in Brandon in November, brought together producers and experts to talk about these subjects. A panel discussion included three farmers, Brooks White, Matt Vansteelandt and Arron Nerbas. White and his […] Read more


This is the type of information generated by the Fieldprint platform about an individual farmer’s field.

Telling the buyers what they want to know

The Field to Market Fieldprint Calculator puts a number on our ag sustainability

With consumers becoming more interested in sustainable agriculture and the food industry looking for sustainable inputs, Canadian organizations came together to make sure our crop industry is ready to respond, with firm answers. “In particular, this group was interested in advancing outcomes-based metrics, where we could measure things like greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon, land […] Read more



The 2019 harvest on the Prairies left little to be desired, with crops still left in fields for a good number of farmers.

Speeding up crop maturity

Consider these nine factors to make sure you have time to get your crop in the bin in 2020

Last season, 2019, was a bad crop-growing season on the Canadian Prairies. There are various estimates of 10 to 25 per cent of all crops left unharvested in swaths or even still standing on cropland. Well, in that case, 75 to 90 per cent of the crop is in the bin, despite the weather. Lots […] Read more

Smoke rises from the site of burning railcars at a CP derailment near Guernsey, Sask., on Feb. 6, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Nayan Sthankiya)

Garneau re-adjusts train speed limits

New limits in place for 'key trains' with dangerous goods

Having cut speed limits for trains hauling dangerous goods following a fiery derailment earlier this month, federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau is adjusting those limits for a “more targeted” approach. Garneau announced Sunday he has pulled his Feb. 6 ministerial order on speed limits and replaced it with a new one affecting so-called “key trains” […] Read more


File photo of a storm cloud from the southwestern end of Lake Winnipeg at Matlock, Man. (IanChrisGraham/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Average Prairie heat, more rain in summer forecast

MarketsFarm — Canada’s Prairies should see higher-than-normal precipitation and generally average temperatures during the 2020 growing season, according to a forecast from Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics. Speaking Thursday at CropConnect in Winnipeg, Kehler said “there’s not really a strong pattern one way or the other” when it comes to the temperature outlook. The Weatherlogics forecast […] Read more

Members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory block tracks serving Via Rail at Tyendinaga, Ont., east of Belleville, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

CN halts rail traffic in East due to protests

Grain groups seek dispute resolution or enforcement of court orders

Canadian National Railway (CN) is shutting down its Eastern Canada operations due to ongoing blockades on its rail lines in Ontario. The company announced Thursday it’s been “forced to initiate a disciplined and progressive shutdown” in the region, which means “stopping and safely securing all transcontinental trains across its Canadian network.” The decision “may imminently […] Read more