The 2024 growing season was a rollercoaster for farmers, with significant variations in yield and quality from region to region and even field to field. Drought conditions prevailed across Western Canada in April, but dry weather allowed farmers to seed early.
The recent work stoppages at Canada’s national railways yet again underscore a hard truth that Canadian grain farmers have grappled with for years: our transportation network is fragile and disruptions are all too frequent. This latest example isn’t an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern that has severely tested the resilience of our country’s agricultural supply chains.
From its current facility, located in a federal government-owned highrise in downtown Winnipeg, Cereals Canada focuses on market development, technical support and market access for Canadian cereal grains. While the organization’s current space has served its purpose for over half a century, the time has come to look ahead and envision the next 50 years for Canadian agriculture.
Marginal acres unsuitable or less suitable for crop production are common on cultivated farmland. To conduct conventional farming practices on such unproductive acres reduces profitability and increases deterioration of land.
Canada rarely gets the respect it deserves as a steady and dependable crop exporter. Despite this solid record, in the 2024/25 marketing year, export prospects for raw unprocessed canola, wheat and durum are mixed.
The University of Calgary’s Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy launched its three-year Alberta Digitalization Agriculture (ABDIAG) program project in October 2023. Thanks to $1.2 million provided by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, the research and farmer education initiative will examine how existing digital technologies can more broadly and effectively be used by the agriculture sector.
Dubbed The Ultimate Food Truck, the customized semi-trailer features four core areas: technology, production, markets and food for thought. To tell the story of Canadian agriculture, digital elements such as touch screens, video displays and interactive maps are supported by fact boards and photo panels.
In its simplest form, a contract is an agreement between two or more parties that creates a legal obligation. Most commonly, it is a deal to exchange a good or service in return for something, usually financial compensation.
There are always many research and development projects on the go at the Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI), the applied research division at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. Industry partners join forces with the department to develop and test a wide variety of innovative products in the core areas of crop and livestock production, environmental stewardship, technology integration and data science and utilization.
Canadian feed and malting barley enjoy a global reputation for superior quality, with the latter well known for its excellent performance in processing and positive contribution to sensory properties in beer such as flavour. With prohibitive Chinese tariffs on Australian barley imports from the spring of 2020 to the summer of 2023, China’s demand for Canadian barley rose significantly during that time.
