Soil moisture (top five cm of soil) on Prairies for November 2016, measured as difference from average. (AAFC Drought Watch map)

Winter wonderland piles on saturated eastern Prairies

CNS Canada — While a wave of snow slowly pummels parts of Saskatchewan and much of Manitoba, one soil moisture expert says water is still trickling through the soil into natural water channels. According to Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Drought Watch program in Regina, this is a good thing, as […] Read more

Atlantic region Outstanding Young Farmer nominees Andrew and Jennifer Lovell and their children Robert, 11, and Elise, four.

Outstanding Young Farmers Atlantic: Andrew and Jennifer Lovell

Marketing is key for Andrew and Jennifer Lovell’s orchard operation

Andrew and Jennifer Lovell have a flair for marketing, and it’s helped them diversify and grow their first generation farm at Keswick Bridge, N.B. And it also helped them achieve the title of 2016 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) for the Atlantic Region. The Lovells own and operate River View Orchards, which includes a U-pick operation for apples, […] Read more


A view from the community of Frelighsburg. (TourismeBrome-Missisquoi.ca)

Federal research farm to reopen in Quebec

A federal experimental farm shuttered by budget cuts in 2012 is poised to reopen next year in Quebec’s Monteregie, for joint research work with other ag sector stakeholders. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Friday announced Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Frelighsburg Experimental Farm, about 80 km southeast of Montreal, will reopen in the spring, taking on […] Read more

Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmer nominees, Adrian and Jodi Roelands and their children Mia, 8, Arie, 6, Eva, 4, Theo, 3, and Ila.

Outstanding Young Farmers Ontario: Adrian and Jodi Roelands

Learning to delegate is crucial to success for Adrian and Jodi Roelands

Adrian and Jodi Roelands, Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016, established Roelands Plant Farms Inc., a propagation greenhouse, in 2013. Since then, they’ve doubled their capacity and were set to triple it by the end of October 2016. On their farm near Forest, in southwestern Ontario, the couple custom grow premium cucumber, tomato and pepper seedlings […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan to rework farm drainage complaint process

A new complaint process to deal with unauthorized drainage on Saskatchewan farmland is expected to lead to resolutions in months instead of years. Scott Moe, minister responsible for Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency, on Tuesday introduced legislative amendments meant to encourage “producer co-operation through the formation of watershed associations and (allow) for producer-led projects.” Under the […] Read more


(AOHVA.com)

Farming work exempt from proposed Alberta helmet law

Farmers and ranchers at work would be exempt from a proposed new law requiring off-highway vehicle (OHV) users to wear helmets while operating on public land in Alberta. Provincial Transportation Minister Brian Mason on Monday announced proposed amendments to Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act that would require recreational users of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, motorcycles, amphibious […] Read more

Saskatchewan OYF regional nominees, Dan and Chelsea Erlandson and their children Calla, 4, and Raulan, 2.

Outstanding Young Farmers Saskatchewan: Dan and Chelsea Erlandson

Growing vegetables for the local market is the key to success for Can and Chelsea Erlandson

Weather wise, October had a dreadful start in Saskatchewan. There was rain and there was snow. And on October 11, forecasters were predicting night time temperatures to plummet to -7 C within days. Dan and Chelsea Erlandson, Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016, confessed they were a little worried about five acres of potato fingerlings still in […] Read more



Health Canada is calling for a three- to five-year phase-out of imidacloprid from farm use over potential risks to aquatic insects such as mayflies. (OttawaRiverkeeper.ca)

PMRA seeks phase-out for neonic pesticide imidacloprid

Canadian farm use of the pesticide imidacloprid, from the controversial neonicotinoid family, is facing a three- to five-year phase-out from approval over its potential risks to aquatic insects. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on Wednesday announced it had completed a re-evaluation of the pesticide and has kicked off a 90-day public consultation period, […] Read more