Reading Time: < 1 minute The Agriculture Financial Services Corporation is reminding farmers the submission deadline for supplementation forms for AgriStability is Tuesday, Sept. 30. Forms will be accepted after this date but a late filing penalty may apply. If producers are in a claim position, they can file up to Dec. 31 but would be subject to a penalty […] Read more
Deadline for AgriStability supplementation forms is Sept. 30
The bottom line on grain storage
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has a pair of new fact sheets on the pros and cons of various grain storage options. “With record crop yields and transport delays of 2013, came greater interest of on-farm storage options,” said Jennifer Stoby, provincial market analyst for agriculture inputs. “Choosing the right grain storage […] Read more
Canadian Grain Commission looking for CPS Red or Red Winter wheat samples
Program helps marketers, and farmers who participate receive a free grade and protein analysis
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re growing Canada Prairie Spring Wheat or Canada Western Red Winter Wheat, then the Canadian Grain Commission wants your samples. “These are minor classes of wheat that not all producers grow,” said Twylla McKendry, program manager for Analytical Services with the Canadian Grain Commission. “We don’t have a lot of people in our database […] Read more
When should you fertilize winter wheat?
Research has shown that fertilizing at seeding can be very effective — and a big time saver come spring
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Once the decision to grow winter wheat has been made, one question that frequently comes up is when to fertilize. “Traditionally, winter wheat has been seeded with very little fertilizer and then fertilized in the spring,” said Doon Pauly, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Lethbridge. “Sometimes, however, […] Read more
Is your well water safe to drink?
Water testing available free of charge through Alberta Health Services
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Urbanites seldom worry about whether or not their water is safe to drink because regulations require municipalities to treat and test water quality on a regular basis. But it’s not so simple for rural residents who rely on wells, as they are responsible for managing and maintaining their wells, and ensuring their […] Read more
What lies beneath your feet is a marvel of nature
It’s believed native grasslands contain plants a century old, their tillers advancing inch by inch to create a perpetual ecosystem
Reading Time: 3 minutes The other day, the Dickinson Research Extension Center became home to an unstoppable force that is going to drill a well. In this case, an oil well. The spot selected is in the middle of a native grass pasture. Who knows the age of that native grass, but certainly the plants were there long before […] Read more
The campaign to whitewash farm and ranch vocabulary
Cargill is apparently no longer in the business of ‘slaughtering’ cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers and ranchers have a well-deserved reputation for straight talk. Saying what you mean and meaning what you say, after all, were essential elements in the handshake deals that were the hallmark of rural business for generations. They still are. Now, however, some folks outside the nation’s fields and fences are working overtime to wash […] Read more
Alberta potato growers fearful of future
So far, high quality along with a strong reputation for hardy and virus-free seed stock has kept potato acreage steady in Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes The humble potato is suffering a very bad rap of late — and that has Alberta growers worried. Although full of vitamins, nutrients and fibre, the longtime staple has become vilified in the last decade and grouped with sugar and white flour as an obesity-causing ‘white food.’ And changing demographics and tastes has more North […] Read more
Women should take measures to avoid a hard landing
Planning ahead for your business is critical for when the day a crisis hits, or when you want to make big changes
Reading Time: 3 minutes I do a lot of flying and still to this day find the takeoff rather exciting. After 35 years of travel there has never been an incident with takeoff — but the landings have been mixed. There were quite a few times when we could not land because of weather, and times when the pilot […] Read more
Pot-bellied pigs, Shetland ponies and rabbits, oh my!
Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale, Saturday, Sept. 27
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pssst… Do you want to buy a duck? Or sell a goat? How about a donkey? Then the annual Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale on Sept. 27 is for you. The sale, which has been running for 31 years, is popular with hobby farmers and attracts about 800 people from Alberta and Saskatchewan each […] Read more