Both Alberta and Quebec have re-upped with their incumbent agriculture ministers in cabinet shuffles this week — but incoming Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s shuffle will also streamline that province’s ag portfolio. Chosen by Alberta’s governing United Conservatives (UCP) on Oct. 6 to replace outgoing premier Jason Kenney, Smith on Friday announced Kenney’s incumbent minister of […] Read more
Alberta reorganizes ag portfolio for returning minister
Horner to handle agriculture and irrigation file
Sounds like a long shot but rice could actually be a fit for Alberta
Researchers are trying to grow rice here at the request of a Calgary food ingredient company
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rice farming tends to conjure images of watered-filled paddies, water buffalo and sunlight breaking through lush south Asian greenery. But a researcher has set out to grow rice in southern Alberta, although “it’s a little early to be excited about it,” said Michele Konschuh, a University of Lethbridge irrigated crop scientist. She is working with […] Read more
It’s worth trying winter-hardy crops, but success can be elusive
Reading Time: 2 minutes Profiting from winter-hardy crops can be challenging, but they’re worth planting in small test areas, says the head of research and development at Western Ag Innovations. “It’s something good to keep your eye on,” Eric Bremer said at the recent Farming Smarter field school in Lethbridge. “It’s still difficult to guarantee a good result. Winter […] Read more
Schoepp: Fresh water a gift we can’t afford to take for granted
What falls from the sky gets most of our attention but the entire water supply should be our concern
Reading Time: 3 minutes Drop by precious drop we are celebrating rain in the dry areas — and cursing it on the flood plains. The weather patterns have been rather unpredictable with monumental hail in Mexico City to extreme heat in Europe and Saharan winds that are dropping sand in the most remote of locations. Putting seed in the […] Read more
Ottawa’s focus on green programs a concern for some farm groups
Focus On Practical Energy: While the programs are fine, producers also need ones that don’t fall into the green ‘bucket,’ they say
Reading Time: 4 minutes The flood of federal funding for adopting environmentally friendly farming practices is a positive step, but also a “drop in the bucket,” says the general manager of Alberta’s cereal commissions. Producers should definitely apply for the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (which offers 85 cents on the dollar for certain green practices), said Tom Steve of […] Read more
Don’t count pipelines out as a source for your livestock watering system
Underground pipe may be more economical than you think — especially with federal funding
Reading Time: 4 minutes You can place them wherever you want on your pasture, set up watering stations as you like, and keep your cows out of streams and dugouts. But underground pipe is also costly compared to some other watering options — at least on first analysis. But sometimes a pipeline may be a less costly option, say […] Read more
Partnership gives Prairie ag students new 800-acre opportunity
Saskatchewan farmland bequest expanded Smart Farm eastward
Students from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Olds College will be getting more opportunities to collaborate with each other on a large scale. The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which entails both schools working together for five years on various programs, notably Olds College’s Smart Farm operation. The partnership comes as a result […] Read more
Schoepp: Many popular foods have a long history — and an uncertain future
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lately I have been curious about lettuce. The plant has been traced back to Egypt some 6,000 years ago and is a member of the sunflower family. That may surprise you because we often think of sunflowers in terms of the flower and the oil. But lettuce was not grown for its leaves, it was […] Read more
Wastewater regulation eased for Nova Scotia on-farm processing
Nova Scotia has introduced regulatory changes that allow on-farm processing operations to better manage wastewater on their smaller scale. The changes, which took effect May 11, come at the request of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) — which has said that owners of small farm-level processing facilities shouldn’t be treated the same as […] Read more
Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports
MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30. Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, […] Read more
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