London | Reuters — Britain will fill a gap of as much as 4.5 billion pounds (C$7.5 billion) in funding for agriculture, universities and its regions that will open up when Britain leaves the European Union, finance minister Philip Hammond said. Scientists, farmers and others who got EU funding were facing uncertainty after Britain voted […] Read more
Britain to plug EU funding gap for farms, colleges
Crop conditions improve, harvest operations underway
Alberta crop conditions as of August 9
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rains continued to fall across the province stretching from the Peace Region to the Southern Region. Provincially, crop conditions improved for all Regions from a week ago and are rated as 84 per cent in good or excellent condition, up one per cent from a week ago and up 13 per cent from the 5-year […] Read more
Livestock water supplies still a concern after oil spill
While cleanup and water testing continue on the North Saskatchewan River, livestock producers with river access are still advised to find alternate water sources. Jenifer Heyden, livestock specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in North Battleford, said ministry staffers and Husky Energy did work with a few producers who were having trouble accessing alternate water sources, to […] Read more
If you’re going to feed hail-damaged crop to livestock, test it first
Doing a feed test ‘is much cheaper than losing an animal,’ says beef extension specialist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hail damage this summer is approaching an all-time high — and with many producers putting livestock on their ruined fields, the risk of nitrate poisoning is also shooting up. So be sure to do a feed test first, said a beef extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “A feed test is much cheaper than […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market comes back to life
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $4-$6 higher on average — in some cases as much as $10 higher in the major feeding regions of Alberta. A couple of auction barns held their first yearling sale of the year and optimism returned with a vengeance. A minor bounce in feeder and live cattle futures along […] Read more
Focus on nutrition will also help pastures
World-renowned holistic management specialist says green is not the only right colour for grass
Reading Time: 3 minutes Many graziers have a theory that if you look after the soil, the rest of the operation will take care of itself, but Ian Mitchell-Innes looks at it the other way around. “The biggest mistake that people make after learning about holistic management is they try and save the ground. I did this also when […] Read more
Hail, flooding damage some crops, but most ‘good to excellent’
Alberta crop conditions as of August 2
Reading Time: < 1 minute Over the past week, rainfall activity has been convective in nature, with heavy downpours leading to localized flooding, and in some cases damaging hail across the province. This has maintained soil moisture levels, but slowed haying progress and reduced hay quality. In cases where crops are not performing well, it is largely due to excessive […] Read more
Haying dogged by persistent showers, crop conditions also affected
Alberta crop conditions as of July 26
Reading Time: < 1 minute Warmer temperatures covered the province but the persistent showery weather continued in most regions affecting haying progress principally but also crop conditions. The provincial crop condition rating was virtually unchanged from last week at 82.5 per cent of crops rated in good or excellent condition compared to the five year average of 72 per cent […] Read more
If the rain won’t go away, you still have options when haying
Making haylage is a good option, but there are several things to keep in mind, says crop specialist
Reading Time: 3 minutes What do you do when the weather conspires against you and hay refuses to dry? “You start looking for alternatives,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “A number of alternatives is available to consider when hay will not dry down to the 16 per cent moisture level that’s considered suitable for long-term storage.” One form […] Read more
Crops progressing well due to plenty of warmth, moisture
Alberta crop conditions as of July 19
Reading Time: 2 minutes With significant rains across the province, particularly in the South and Central Regions over the past two weeks, most of the agricultural lands in Alberta have seen at least near normal amounts of precipitation to date (refer to the map below). Provincially, crop growing conditions improved by two per cent from last week to 83 […] Read more