Reading Time: < 1 minute Irrigation is an economic engine that keeps on getting bigger and contributing more to the provincial economy, according to a new study commissioned by the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association. The study concluded the economic contribution of irrigated crop and livestock production along with irrigation-related food processing and certain non-irrigation benefits added $5.4 billion annually to […] Read more
Irrigation packs a big economic punch
When it comes to new varieties, there’s a need for speed, says breeder
Creating the equivalent of a 22-hour day can speed up variety development by six times
Reading Time: 4 minutes Combining ‘speed breeding’ with new genomic tools will be able to deliver big dividends for farmers in the coming years, says a plant breeder using the accelerated breeding technique. “It really highlights that we can bring these technologies together to improve genetic gain in the crops of the future,” said Lee Hickey, an associate professor […] Read more
Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies
Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements
MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more
The province’s ‘historic’ irrigation expansion has got even bigger
Two new districts join in and now nearly a quarter of a million more acres will be irrigated
Reading Time: 2 minutes It was a low-key announcement with some very sizable numbers. A historic expansion of Alberta’s irrigation network is getting bigger — another 30,000 acres are being added at a cost of $118 million. The expansion was announced earlier this month by Premier Jason Kenney without the fanfare of the original announcement a year ago, which […] Read more
THE NEW ENERGY BOOM: The sun is shining on Alberta’s solar industry
Every sector of Alberta’s solar energy industry is seeing strong demand — including from agriculture
Reading Time: 6 minutes Alberta may be oil and gas country, but right now, another natural resource is booming in the province — solar energy. “Alberta is by far the fastest-growing solar market in Canada right now,” said Nicholas Gall, director of distributed energy resources for the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. “Large corporate buyers — companies like Amazon, Budweiser, […] Read more
Could soil electrical conductivity maps give productivity a little jolt?
This easy-to-obtain data could be a way to use fertilizer and irrigation more effectively
Reading Time: 4 minutes You might get a charge out of this — measuring the ability of soil to conduct electricity, turning that info into field maps of moisture, and then using that info to fertilize or irrigate more effectively. Soil electrical conductivity is something that may already be measured on your farm. “Often if farmers are getting their […] Read more
India unveils new rice variety to reduce water use, labour
New Delhi | Reuters — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched an array of new high-yielding crop varieties, including herbicide-tolerant rice that can be directly sown into the soil, cutting expenditure on water and farm workers. In India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, the conventional method of rice cultivation requires farmers to sow […] Read more
Water outlook ‘bleak’ as glaciers recede in Rocky Mountains
Loss of glaciers would greatly affect summer flows of rivers, already seeing lower water levels
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Where fly fisherman Shane Olson once paddled summer tourists around in a boat, he now guides them by foot — carefully navigating shallow waters one step at a time. “Every year, these rivers seem to be getting smaller, faster,” the 48-year-old said as he whipped a fishing line over the Crowsnest River. “We […] Read more
Would you like fries with that? Potato acres up after pandemic drop
It’s a few years off but irrigation expansion should usher in another production leap in the province
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s potato industry has bounced right back from its dip in acres during the pandemic. “We’re back to the 2019 acres,” said Terence Hochstein, executive director of the Potato Growers of Alberta. “We’ve added a few more acres, but there’s really no new farms and no huge increases on any particular farm. It’s just getting […] Read more
Drought slashes seed supplies across the Prairies
Seed supplies are likely to be lower than average this year, so source your seed earlier than normal
Reading Time: 6 minutes Sarah Weigum started to suspect this wouldn’t be a typical year for seed sales back in July, when one of her customers called to book seed for next spring. “My customers aren’t normally the type who call in July for seed for the next spring, and that was just the beginning,” said the Three Hills-area […] Read more
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