Health officials have confirmed that the strain of bird flu that hospitalized a B.C. teenager in critical condition is related to the same virus causing outbreaks in the province’s poultry.
Virus in B.C. human bird flu case genetically related to farm strain
Be wary when asked about spraying with drones
Farmers may ask for advice, but answering may get you in hot water
It could happen anytime. As drone fever sweeps across Western Canada, a farmer is eventually going to ask an agrologist or crop advisor to teach them how to spray pesticides with drones. What do you do? Igor de Albuquerque advises extreme caution. “If the product in question does not include drone usage on its label, […] Read more
Drone spraying sees some lift toward label approvals
Work is ongoing to satisfy Canada’s regulators and get drones added to pesticide labels
Glacier FarmMedia — The ray of hope might be dim right now, but farmers wanting to legally spray pesticides on their crops using drones may be seeing the first hint of light at the end of the tunnel. Ross Breckels, a senior scientific evaluator with Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), said the process […] Read more
Second opinion on grain grade available: Canadian Grain Commission
Farmers can ask for a final quality determination from the Canadian Grain Commission if they disagree with their grain grade or other quality assessment from the elevator
U.S. farm bill, biofuels and vCOOL among American trends worth watching FCC says
Voluntary country of origin labelling (vCOOL) for beef and pork, biofuel tax credit changes, and an impending U.S. farm bill are three U.S. agriculture trends worth watching according to recent analysis from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
Canada, First Nations agree on unmet agricultural claims
A handful of specific agricultural benefit claims between the federal government and nine First Nations were settled on Friday.
Once fully settled, these claims—unmet promises in treaties 5, 6 and 10 territories throughout the Prairie provinces—will represent almost $1.4 billion in combined compensation to these First Nations.
Sorghum sudangrass may help soil beat back diseases
The crop’s benefits for farmers are piling up, but be aware of some drawbacks, experts say
Researchers have found potential in sorghum sudangrass — a hybrid of sorghum varieties — as a fungal disease-fighting, soil-enriching grass for cover crops. Although the research was conducted in Prince Edward Island, some say there may be applications for Western Canada as well — including potential as highly-nutritious cattle feed. Two Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada […] Read more
Canadian Grain Commission predicts financial shortfall
In a release Oct. 16, the organization said that “Since the Canadian Grain Commission reduced its official inspection and weighing fees in 2021, the organization has inspected and weighed lower-than-expected grain volumes, leading to a gap between revenue and costs.”
Back to blackleg
Lab-testing canola stem samples can help verify the disease and its specific race
Everyone knows blackleg has been all over canola crops throughout Western Canada this year — but producers will still have to wait a bit to find out just how much the fungal disease has impacted Prairie crops. That’s why Clint Jurke, agronomy director with the Canola Council of Canada, is waiting until survey data is […] Read more
Combine market holding, for now
According to a recent news release from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, higher combine prices do not yet appear to have affected their sales in Canada.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
