Hursh Comment

In recent weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road, eating in hotel restaurants. If you’re staying in a nice hotel in a big city in this country, the price tag for meals can be a shocker. Some places automatically add a 15 per cent gratuity to the over-inflated bill just to add …

Tuesday was an ugly day in the grain markets. Everything dropped sharply, mostly limit down. Canola futures were down $30 a tonne. From the peak just a short time ago, canola is down $50 or $60 a tonne. The drop yesterday was counterintuitive, because crude oil prices went up sharply. Generally, when oil increases, grain …

The price of yellow peas has risen steadily since harvest. The Alberta Pulse Growers publish a bi-weekly newsletter called The Pulse Market Insight. The most recent edition is by Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research. Penner acknowledges that pea prices were slow to rally due to massive supplies overhanging the market. Now, yellow peas are …

The beef cow breeding herd in Canada continues to drop, but it isn’t dropping as quickly in Saskatchewan as in other parts of the country. In the just released report from Statistics Canada, the number of beef cows in the country as of January 1 is pegged at 4.273 million, a decline of 2.7 per …

In an era when a computer called Watson can defeat mere mortals at Jeopardy, it’s good to know that some things still work better with a human touch. In the latest edition of Grainews, long-time soil scientist Les Henry has come out with a stubble soil moisture map that’s superior to anything being generated by …

The old debate over the Canadian Wheat Board has developed a new twist. The CWB is purchasing two new lake vessels at a cost of $65 million. The CWB says there’s a need to replace the aging fleet of freighters on the Great Lakes. The cost is equal to approximately $1 per tonne, paid over …

As we head into spring, flooding is a huge concern in many regions. In anticipation of the needs, Flaman Sales went looking for products that could potentially prevent financial loss for farmyards and homes. As a result, the company is marketing a product called the Flaman Pro Tech Sand Bagger. They claim that with the …

The introduction of a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons is going to keep the Canadian Wheat Board debate on the front burner. Conservative Member of Parliament Bruce Stanton of Simcoe North has introduced Bill C-619, which would allow Western Canadian farmers to opt out of the Canadian Wheat Board. It isn’t clear …

There are a couple of interesting developments in the farm equipment world. Buhler Industries, which has the brand names Versatile and Farm King and a manufacturing plant in Winnipeg, has purchased the assets of Ezee-On Manufacturing. Ezee-On is based in Vegreville, Alberta and builds air drills and carts, offset and tandem discs, and a post …

It’s been a tough winter for moving grain off the farm. Most areas have had lots of snow creating a brisk market for snow moving equipment. Clearing a yard site with a dozer or snow blower can be a never ending job if the wind is blowing. It doesn’t take much snow to create trouble …

Last night, there was a retirement gathering for weed scientist Rick Holm. Rick has had a 40-year career, including 27 years with the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre. He’s a great scientist and great guy and he’ll be missed. There have been a number of recent high-profile retirements from the Crop Development Centre. Flax …