There is a whiff of shame that wafts from journalists after they’ve found out corrections are needed to a published piece. Despite our best intentions, fact-checking processes, and diligent editors, mistakes sometimes slip by us. Take an article I wrote on growing hemp a few months ago. I spoke to, and referenced material from, several […] Read more
Farm reporting ain’t easy
Reporter's Notebook: More information about hemp to add to what appeared in a previous article, and a trip to a conference in Manitoba to learn more about grain transportation
Grain movement chills in winter
Why can’t the railways push through winter? Kyle Petluk hails from Alberta’s Peace River region. He was one of few farmer delegates at the Field on Wheels transportation conference in Winnipeg last December. Farmers are hurting after last winter, not CN and CP shareholders, he said during an interview. “(The railways are) saying it’s a […] Read more
Farmers still concerned about grain movement
Grain is moving more freely this winter, but concerns linger
The grain industry’s transportation woes have eased somewhat over the last few months, but farmers’ concerns linger. To get a sense of where things are at and what need to be done to resolve the complex issues around transportation, Grainews spoke to farmers from each Prairie province. Grain bound for ports at the West Coast […] Read more
Aftermarket concave wins Innovation Award
Sunnybrook Welding introduces CR Tri-Frame concave for NH combine
Sunnybrook Welding’s new CR Tri-Frame concave design slashes change-out time by at least half, claims Gerald Foster, the company’s president and CEO. The key, he says, is the modular design. “So instead of replacing the whole frame, we have a segmented underlay to the concave that bolts in, in three different pieces,” Foster explains. “And […] Read more
Funding: Public, private or PayPal
There are many ways to raise funds, from public-private partnerships to community donations and global campaigns
Public-private partnerships grab headlines and stir up controversy when governments team up with the private sector on everything from highways to hospitals. Many rural communities are familiar with a different funding structure: public-public partnerships. These agreements ask local residents to kick in a good chunk, if not all, of the funding for public infrastructure. In […] Read more
Interesting times ahead for farmers
Farmers are on the environmental front line. If they can keep the public onside, they could turn a curse into an opportunity
The proverb “may you live in interesting times” is often attributed to a Chinese philosopher. The phrase is supposed to imply that it’s better to live a boring, tranquil life, than an interesting, but perhaps stressful, one. But sleuth around a little on the Internet and you’ll find the so-called Chinese curse isn’t Chinese at […] Read more
Growing interest in growing hemp crops
Interest in hemp is on the rise. Some see it as a money making alternate crop
In 2013, over 66,000 acres were licensed to cultivate hemp, a nearly 10-fold increase from 2003, according to the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance. “It’s a crop that there’s growing interest in it. Especially as canola’s starting to slump so bad,” says Harry Brook, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. But farmers can’t throw […] Read more
Guenther: Indigenous ag summit cultivates global ambition
Elmer Eashappie is an idea man. And on his mind today is an agricultural summit connecting First Nations groups worldwide to network and learn, all under the umbrella of Canadian Western Agribition. And that idea is closer to reality than one may think. Eashappie, an Agribition board member, is chairman of the Indigenous Agriculture Summit, […] Read more
New corn varieties for 2015
Early maturing varieties are pushing corn into new growing regions
UPDATED, NOV. 20, 2014 – Soybeans aren’t the only crops pushing into new areas. Seed companies are releasing more early-maturing corn varieties again this year, in a bid to expand the growing region. Some of the thriftiest new varieties, in terms of corn heat units, include DuPont Pioneer’s P7332R (2050 corn heat units) and P7410HR […] Read more
You’re only as tough as you think you are
Sure, it’s your head, your decision. But Grainews field editor Lisa Guenther knows first hand that wearing a riding helmet could save your life
The worst accidents seem to happen when you least expect them. I was riding with my dad, just tootling around the pasture, on the September long weekend. He was riding a palomino mare that I’d started for him. My gelding, Bear, is still a little green, but was quite well-behaved that day. Overall I’d been […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
