
General

Pilot plan to cut red tape for reliable TFW employers
Farm employers can apply starting next month
Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) program is set to give farms a head start in an express lane expected to cut the annual paperwork for that program’s most “trusted employers.” Federal Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonault last week launched a three-year pilot meant to “help to address labour shortages and reduce the administrative […] Read more

Prairie Forecast: Upper ridge to bring the heat
Issued Aug. 16, covering Aug. 16-23
After going through a couple of weeks of tough forecasting, with little agreement among the weather models, this forecast period is looking a little more stable with the two main weather models for our region in basic agreement. We start off this forecast with a low over Manitoba that is quickly moving east. To the […] Read more

India’s Mahindra aims to double tractor exports with new platform
Oja line to be introduced in North America
Mumbai | Reuters — India’s largest tractor maker, Mahindra and Mahindra, launched a new platform to manufacture lightweight tractors on Tuesday, which would enable the company to double its exports within three years, a senior company official told Reuters. The new platform, named Oja, was developed in collaboration with India’s Mahindra Research Valley and Japan’s […] Read more

Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry
Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29
Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more

Prairie Forecast Update: Low to chug through mid-week
Issued Aug. 13, covering Aug. 13-16
The weather models seem to have come to an agreement on the area of low pressure forecasted to come in off the Pacific around mid-week. It looks like the energy from this system will quickly spin up an area of low pressure over north-central Alberta on Tuesday. The low will then quickly deepen and track […] Read more

Canada’s record-setting wildfires could persist for rest of ‘marathon’ summer
Country's fires account for over a quarter of world's carbon for 2023
Ottawa | Reuters — Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday. Forest fires have engulfed parts of nearly all 13 Canadian provinces and territories this year, […] Read more

Ukraine announces ‘humanitarian corridor’ for other stuck ships
Moscow not yet commenting on plan
Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea on Thursday to release cargo ships trapped in its ports since the outbreak of war, a new test of Russia’s de facto blockade since Moscow abandoned a deal last month to let Kyiv export grain. At least initially, the corridor would apply […] Read more

U.S. agency to probe Ram pickups over power steering issues
Includes Ram 1500 trucks from 2013-16 model years
Washington | Reuters — U.S. auto safety regulators said on Tuesday they were investigating whether 1.1 million older Ram 1500 pickup trucks should be recalled for power steering loss issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received 380 reports alleging intermittent or complete loss of power steering assistance in 2013-2016 model year Ram […] Read more

Prairie Forecast: Cooler and unsettled
Issued Aug. 9, covering Aug. 9 to 16
First off, I must apologize for not producing an update to the last forecast; I had the opportunity to do some backwoods camping, which meant I was off the grid for about five days. I’m back now, and from the weather model runs I’ve been able to check out, this forecast period is going to […] Read more

Anti-ASF funds designated for Manitoba Pork
Three initiatives will be funded through the federal African swine fever preparedness program
The Manitoba Pork Council’s efforts against African swine fever now have almost $1 million in extra financial padding. On Aug. 3, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced $944,340 in funding for Manitoba’s hog farm group. Funds were provided through AAFC’s African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program and were slotted for three initiatives: Squeal on Pigs, increased […] Read more