Colombia, a South American country of more than 50 million people, has a long brewing tradition introduced by German and European immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries. Bavaria, by far the largest brewing company in Colombia, was established in 1889 and grew during the 20th century through a series of mergers to become a near monopoly by 2000. The brewer’s flagship beer brands Aguila and Poker are omnipresent in Colombia. In 2005, Bavaria was purchased by SABMiller and then in 2016 became part of AB InBev when the two global brewing giants merged.

Two Albertans are among the four recipients of 2026 Nuffield Canada Scholarships. Each will receive $20,000 to travel and research a topic of their choosing over a two-year stretch. Scholars join an international cohort founded in the U.K. that focuses on agricultural learning opportunities and knowledge sharing.

Farmland is sacred, just ask a farmer. Historically, when land changed hands, it was a simple process: Farmer A sold land to Farmer B. However, in the last 20 or so years, a curious trend has emerged. As the farm economy has risen, so has the financial potential of the land as an investment vehicle. The ownership details of Canadian farmland are hard to quantify and lately have generated anger, speculation and plenty of conversation across the Prairies.

Long before sustainability became a policy buzzword, farmers worked to protect soil from wind erosion, manage moisture conditions and conserve fuel and other inputs. What’s changed in recent years is the level of public and industry awareness of environmental issues. This has generated a host of funding initiatives directed at conservation, climate and environmental programming in agriculture. Over time, federal and provincial governments have rolled out an ever-growing suite of programs aimed at soil health, biodiversity, water conservation and greenhouse gas reduction.

Variety is the spice of life, and a shakeup in crop rotation may add bite to the farm bottom line. This is the premise of recent research on crop rotation and its impact on profits and the environment. Through analysis of 20 years of Saskatchewan farmland insurance data on rotational choices in correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC) levels, researchers Devin Serfas and Richard Gray found clear benefits in certain rotations.

Most farms evolve on their own, but the five farm families in the Bow Island area that make up Quattro Ventures chose to grow together to take advantage of collaborative opportunities, economies of scale and shared vision. They chose a unique business model that has merged their farm operations.

For our latest farm family portrait, GrainsWest visited the van de Ligts whose farm was established as a dairy operation in 1960 near the north-central hamlet of Jarvie. Fred and Rita began farming in 1974. Their sons and their wives, Donald and Maya, with Mitchell and Kayla, represent the farm’s third generation.

A formative experience, Tyler McCann spent almost a decade in the federal government, primarily as an advisor to then Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Gerry Ritz. McCann and his wife Gillian MacDougall grew up on cattle and dairy farms respectively, and upon McCann’s exit from government in 2017, they established a herd of 60 purebred Simmental cattle on 200 acres in western Quebec.

For years the North American beer industry has contended with a gradual downturn. Since 2019, beer sales have dropped 11 per cent. According to Beer Canada, 2025 domestic beer sales were down 2.4 per cent compared to 2024. For imported beer, the decline was noticeably steeper, as Canadians drank 8.6 per cent less such beers in 2025 versus a year prior.

Initiated in July 2025, the V6 Odyssey port terminal project is billed as “Canada’s first low-carbon, enhanced efficiency fertilizers and commercial phosphate fertilizer terminal.” Situated on the Saint Lawrence River south of Ottawa, it’s a joint venture between V6 Agronomy and the Port of Johnstown. As it receives Prairie commodities such as durum wheat, lentils, potash and sulphur via CN Rail, it will send matchback railcars of phosphate and specialty fertilizers to the West.