(Rustycanuck/iStock/Getty Images)

Hay prices skyrocket as Prairie drought continues

MarketsFarm — Hay prices have continued to skyrocket across the Prairies as conditions remain dry enough that many hay growers won’t produce a first cut this spring. “We’ve had a tough start here,” said Darren Chapman, chair of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association. “We had a cold, dry spring with frost, so first cut […] Read more






Seeding begins slightly behind five-year average

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending May 6

Despite cool weather this past week, many producers have begun seeding operations and many more expect to be in the field this coming week, once conditions improve. Thirteen per cent of the crop is now seeded, which is slightly behind the five-year average (2014-2018) of 14 per cent for this time of year. Recent cool […] Read more

DowDuPont announced Corteva as the name for its merged agribusiness in February 2018, ahead of its planned June 2019 spinoff. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Corteva cleared for spinoff

The combined agriculture businesses of Dow Chemical and DuPont have cleared the last of their regulatory hurdles to go ahead with their formal June 1 spinoff. The Delaware-based agribusiness, under the name Corteva, Inc., is scheduled to begin “when-issued” trading on the NYSE on May 24, and “regular way” trading on June 3, under the […] Read more


Anhydrous Ammonia tanks

Les Henry: Anhydrous ammonia and the 4Rs

Time to bring back what should be the cheapest form of nitrogen fertilizer

Almost all farm press of late that talks about fertilizer use emphasizes the 4R concept. That means that we will take each nutrient and decide what is the “right” source to use, what is the “right” application rate, what is the “right” placement and what is the “right” time to apply that nutrient. The nutrient […] Read more

(SKHoward/iStock/Getty Images)

Climate change has U.S. fund managers adjusting agriculture investments

New York | Reuters — After historic floods devastated Midwestern agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how climate change will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers say, they are struggling […] Read more


Make sure cows have a good body condition score and aim for a 60-day breeding and calving season.

A short 60-day breeding season leads to profit

Produces a more uniform batch of calves and higher weaning weights

The calving season is well underway on the Prairies, with some cow-calf operations calving with snow on the ground, while others plan to calve on pasture. Regardless of the starting date, the length of the calving season is directly related to the length of the previous breeding season. Research shows moving toward a desirable 60-day […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Report shows slower pace for rising farmland values

While lower-valued farmland more often showed a higher rate of increase, and price hikes varied from region to region, Canada’s farmland values on average have booked their slowest year-over-year rate of increase in almost a decade. That’s according to the annual Farmland Values Report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC), in which the federal ag lending […] Read more