Boehringer Ingelheim, whose headquarters at Ingelheim, Germany is shown here, has formally brought animal health rival Merial into its own animal health business effective Jan. 1. (Boehringer-Ingelheim.com)

Animal pharma firm Merial formally joins Boehringer

Global pharma giants Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim have formally sealed their deal to merge Sanofi’s global animal health business, Merial, into Boehringer’s. The two companies last week announced their deal has “successfully closed in most markets” as of Jan. 1. Paris-based Sanofi will get Boehringer’s global consumer health care business plus 4.7 billion euros (C$6.6 […] Read more



Successful woman handing out Canadian dollars. Female entrepreneur doing business in Canada. Giving or donating money. Female success in a multicultural society

Ready to share your wealth with employees?

An Employee Share Ownership Plan may be a good option for your farm

If you’ve had a tough year with poor crops and low prices and are feeling financially short, regardless of how it turned out, you’ll likely always need labour support to get the job done. One of the biggest fears of founders that I coach is the fact that they may lose loyal, hard-working employees after […] Read more

First unveiled to the public in Iowa in August, Versatile has introduced two new 
FWA tractors that boost horsepower up to 360.

PHOTOS: Bigger FWA models from Versatile

The Winnipeg brand bumps its rigid-frame models up to 360 horsepower

With Final Tier 4, we’re finding our fuel efficiency is rising dramatically,” said Andrew Winkels, Versatile’s front-wheel assist tractor project manager, as we walked around a new 360 tractor in the company’s Winnipeg assembly plant. A new, Tier 4 Final, 9 litre QSL Cummins diesel is at the heart of the brand’s two new models, the 335 and 360. On this day Versatile was […] Read more


Magnifying glass on newspaper

Guarding Wealth: Canadian interest rates to rise

But don’t hold your breath — any big rate moves are at least 18 months ahead

To quote the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Bob Dylan, “the times, they are a-changin’.” In capital markets, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board is likely to raise the interest rate it charges banks to borrow money overnight to maintain reserves — a key indicator for all other interest rates in the economy. This increase […] Read more

Deere has added a model to the top end of the 8R Series, boosting available horsepower in that model group to 400.

The news from the tractor world

A look at some tractor model updates, additions and refinements for 2017

Updates, redesigns and new track options. There’s plenty of news in the world of tractors. John Deere adds new 8R tractor, refines its 9R Series John Deere announced a change to its 9R tractors this year. The steel fuel tank previously used on these models has been redesigned for better rear visibility and changed to a composite material construction. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Diesel prices to start edging up in 2017

Commodity News Service Canada – An improving U.S. economy and a global deal to limit oil production should give diesel prices a boost in the coming year. “We’ve been blessed with low diesel prices the past few years but we’re probably looking at higher prices in the New Year,” said Phil Flynn of Price Futures […] Read more

Boys on hay bale

Is the farm a healthier place to grow up on?

Prairie Palate: Get Well Soon Meat Loaf

As we head into the winter cold season, I am feeling quite smug. I rarely get colds. I have no allergies and a stomach as impervious as a cast iron pan. I attribute the healthy state of my immune system to growing up on a farm. Mucking about in the garden, eating bugs and dirt, […] Read more


With up to 335 rated engine horsepower under the hood, JCB thinks their Fastrac is now an ideal choice as a primary field tractor for many western Canadian farmers.

A tractor manufacturer on the fast track

JCB re-engineers the Fastrac 8000 Series

JCB’s chief innovation and growth officer Tim Burnhope was beaming as he stood on stage in a theatre at the company’s Rocester England World Headquarters. He was there to introduce JCB’s newest ag machines to members of the farm media invited there from most of the countries the brand sells into. The biggest news Burnhope […] Read more

Early model Fastracs roll down the assembly line in 1995.

The evolution of JCB’s Fastrac

First unveiled to the public at the Royal Smithfield farm show in Great Britain in 1990, the Fastrac began production the following year. Offering 125 and 140 horsepower respectively, the first two models to see production were the 120 and 145. Final design of those two initial production models was somewhat different than the original […] Read more