Oslo | Reuters –– Syria’s civil war has prompted the first withdrawal of seeds from a “doomsday” vault built in an Arctic mountainside to safeguard global food supplies, officials said Monday. The seeds, including samples of wheat, barley and grasses suited to dry regions, have been requested by researchers elsewhere in the Middle East to […] Read more
Syrian war spurs first withdrawal from doomsday seed vault
Deal would let southern California buy surplus water from Nevada
Reuters — A US$45 million deal that would let southern California’s biggest water agency access a major supply of water that would normally go to southern Nevada won approval on Thursday from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The board of the Metropolitan Water District, a wholesaler that supplies public utilities in heavily populated southern California, […] Read more
Drought exposes cracks in Australia’s acclaimed water market
Sydney | Reuters — A pioneering Australian scheme to improve the management of water in the world’s driest inhabited continent is facing its first real test as an intensifying El Nino threatens crops and builds tensions between farmers and environmentalists. The three-year old management plan for the Murray-Darling basin, an area twice the size of […] Read more
Wet weather continues to stall harvest, pastures, hay rate poor
Alberta crop conditions as of September 15, 2015
Reading Time: 2 minutes Following a brief dry spell to the middle of last week, wet weather over the weekend slowed down or completely halted harvesting operations across the province. Most of the province received rain, from less than 5 mm in northern areas of Peace and North East Regions and small areas in South Region, to over 30 […] Read more
Co-op moves up timetable for scholarship program
Prairie students planning careers in agriculture or agribusiness now have an earlier deadline to seek funding support through the Co-op Excellence in Ag program. Excellence in Ag, Federated Co-operatives’ (FCL) multi-year scholarship and summer internship program, previously had a Jan. 31 deadline, but for the 2016 round, the application deadline will be Oct. 15 this […] Read more
What to ask when purchasing hay
Reading Time: < 1 minute Hay supplies and prices have been at a premium, but when purchasing hay it is important to keep quality in mind. There is always a risk when buying hay from unknown sources, including poor nutritional quality; a different species mixture than you expected; excessive dust or mould; or a high proportion of weeds. Here are […] Read more
Grab your pitchfork, it’s threshing time!
Reading Time: < 1 minute Want to take a trip back in time? The Ponoka Ag Society will be hosting a Farming With Horses threshing party on Saturday, Sept. 19 starting around noon. People are invited to bring a pitchfork (three tine) to help load bundles on the racks and a lawn chair. They can purchase beef on a bun […] Read more
Province creates online listings for alternative feed uses
Reading Time: < 1 minute In response to numerous calls to the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Ag-Info Centre about options for alternative use of crops, a new category has been created under hay and pasture listings on the department’s web page. “Called Standing Annual Crop, the new category gives producers the option to list their crops for alternative uses so […] Read more
Short on feed? You need a multi-pronged plan, says expert
Get your winter feed in place now, fatten up light cows, save your pastures, and talk to your neighbours
Reading Time: 4 minutes Faced with tight hay supplies and high feed prices, producers are naturally focused on how to feed their livestock over the winter — but they need a comprehensive plan, says a forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “If you don’t do a good job feeding these cows properly this winter it’s going to affect […] Read more
Alberta producers making good harvest progress
Alberta crop conditions as of September 1, 2015
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta producers were able to make good harvest progress this past week with the South region showing the greatest advancement. Thick smoke haze in the atmosphere reduced temperatures and slowed drying across much of the province. High winds in southern Alberta helped to dry crops but also caused damage by blowing swaths and breaking heads. […] Read more