COVID-19’s role in changing the world’s supply chains in 2020 can’t be overstated. Testing supply chains everywhere, COVID-19 exposures slowed or shuttered global manufacturing. Consumers consumed differently. The virus and its consequences, like food service shutdowns, turned shoppers into online aficionados as hobbies, home improvements, in-home dining and grocery hoarding assumed new importance. But other better-known forces also disrupted them. Geopolitical tensions … Read More

NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of protesting Indian farmers called for a national farmers’ strike on Monday, the second in a week, to press for the quashing of three new laws on agricultural reform that they say will drive down crop prices and devastate their earnings. The farmers are camping along at least five major highways on the outskirts … Read More

By: Randall Van Wagner Now that the leaves have fallen off and the crops are in, we move into the season of erosion. It’s inevitable when soil is left bare and exposed. The main elements that cause the erosion are snow, ice, wind and, perhaps the most damaging, water. Water will take that precious topsoil out to the drains, creeks, … Read More

By Mahdi Al-Kaisi  The dry, warmer-than-normal growing season this year presents significant challenges for managing soil and crop residue this fall.  Excessively dry soil conditions this season make field preparation and tillage this fall challenging, even though a dry soil condition is preferred for conducting tillage operations. The advantage of having low soil moisture for tillage is a reduced impact … Read More

By: Diego Flammini Ontario pumpkin growers are pleased with how their yields are looking this year. Growers produce pumpkin and squash across 4,248 acres throughout the province, the 2016 Census of Agriculture said. Farms.com connected with some pumpkin producers to discuss the crop and how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed family pumpkin-picking experiences. Paul Brooks usually plants around 25 acres … Read More

By Mark Sulc Fall is a great time to take care of some very important aspects for managing forage hay fields and pastures. Below is a list of things that when done in the fall can help avoid big headaches this winter and next spring or even next summer. One of the most important things to do now is to … Read More

By Diego Flammini A Canadian ag organization has released what it would like to see Governor General Julie Payette mention in Wednesday’s throne speech. Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) published its ‘Speech from the Combine’ on Monday to demonstrate how agriculture can be part of Canada’s recovery from COVID-19, said Jeff Nielsen, the president of GGC. “Agriculture is poised to help … Read More

By: Nancy Russel A survey by the P.E.I. Potato Board found a growing number of potato farmers in the province turning to a wide variety of cover crops to improve their soil and reduce erosion, and even generate some cash along the way. “The main goal of the survey was to get a benchmark for where we’re at on cover crops,” … Read More

Agribusiness giant takes quarter stake in processor By: Dave Bedard One of the world’s biggest grain companies is getting in on a processing facility under construction in Winnipeg to extract plant-based proteins from canola and peas. Winnipeg-based Merit Functional Foods announced Thursday it has received a $30 million “capital investment” from Bunge, giving the U.S. grain firm a “minority interest” … Read More

By Diego Flammini McDonald’s Canada is once again preparing to source all its beef from Canadian farms starting next month. John Betts, president and CEO of McDonald’s Canada and its 1,400 Canadian locations, made the announcement during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference last week. “As of September, we are going back to 100 per cent Canadian beef,” he said during the … Read More