Farmers of North America Grain Project

Sep 15, 2014

Farmers of North America is asking farmers to express their interest in investing in and building a farmer-owned grain-handling and fertilizer distribution company.

Bob Friesen with Farmers of North America says they see the synergy between the farmer owned fertilizer plant their building and grain handling adding there’s room for farmers to be involved and benefit.

Friesen says they would look at everything from building grain handling sites to buying or investing in current operations.

"When you look at the fact that grain handing and marketing margins are pushing 40 dollars, when you look at the fact that the basis over the last year cost western farmers somewhere over 40 billion dollars we have the same situation as project n, there is a significant margin for framers to capture and that of course is our objective," said Friesen.

Friesen stopped short of confirming whether or not part of that plan would involve investment in the CWB which is about to be privatized.

Source: SteinbachOnline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.