Farm tires from dandelions? Sunday, March 8, 2015 Mitas, the Czech Republic tire maker, plans to test agricultural tires made with dandelion rubber, Modern Farmer reports.Natural rubber, typically harvested from the rubber tree, is an integral part of the tire industry. According to Reuters, passenger car tires need to be 10-40 per cent natural rubber to stay flexible in cold weather and to prevent significant cracking. But there has always been concern over of the risks and volatility of rubber tree farming. Taraxacum koksaghyz – commonly called the Kazakh dandelion, native to the Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan region and a source of natural rubber – is hoped to be a future answer to those concerns.According to Modern Farmer, in North America Mitas exclusively produces agricultural tires. Its sales and marketing director, Andrew Mabin, told AgWeb that Mitas, "is actively seeking new ways of improving our manufacturing process, which includes researching new raw materials or substitutes." BF Purple Loosestrife not so bad after all Fewer allergies for children on the farm
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online