After 11 years at the helm of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC), Rob McCaig is joining multinational brewing giant SABMiller as the company’s chief brewer for Europe.

The Barley Council of Canada (BCC) recently announced the appointment of Brett Campbell as its executive director

Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada, is no stranger to the agriculture industry. In fact, he has been immersed in it his entire life, and he would not have it any other way.

Rail service in Canada has rapidly deteriorated, becoming a pressing and urgent concern. Thankfully, a CN rail strike that would have been devastating both to farmers and to Canada’s economy was averted. But in many ways, this close call heightened farmers’ frustrations with the serious rail capacity deficit.

There’s a new sense of optimism in farming. Following decades of attrition, in which coming of age often meant abandoning the family farm, young farmers are leading much-needed industry renewal.

If you were asked to picture a Canadian farmer selling grain, you might imagine a truck, loaded up at the farm, headed for the local elevator.

With more than a handful of classes to choose from, deciding what wheat to put into the ground can be a tough decision. Farmers need to constantly look at their growing conditions, soil and climate type, market potential, and if it’s needed as a crop rotation to break up pest and disease cycles. Three Hills-area farmer and writer Sarah Weigum asked three Alberta farmers: How do you decide what type of wheat to plant?

Down in feedlot alley, corn is solid.
It produces well and it feeds a lot of cattle. Inevitably, the question comes up, “Could there be another opportunity—the opportunity to grow far more acres using new grain corn varieties developed for the western Prairies?”

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) may be the next big wave of crop management tools helping farmers to increase cereal crop yields and profitability, but the products that have been widely used in Europe and other parts of the world for decades still have to earn their stripes in Canada.

A spectre is haunting the world’s wheat farmers, and its name is UG99. Spread by spores that can cross oceans, Ug99 is the latest mutation of a crop disease called stem rust that has been feared throughout history. Known since ancient times, it was considered a curse in what is now Israel. To the Romans, it was a deity to be appeased with sacrifices and processions, lest their crops be destroyed.