Reading Time: < 1 minute Community and volunteer groups in English and French linguistic minority communities can receive grants to encourage the use of Canada’s official languages in their area. Farm Credit Canada’s Expression Fund will give grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 to fund initiatives such as community centres, schools, and daycare centres as well as projects such as theatrical productions, art galleries, and […] Read more
Grants available for linguistic minority communities
Applications due by Jan. 8, grants range from $2,000 to $10,000
Learn the ins and outs of shelf life
Workshops scheduled for Jan. 10 and April 11
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Troubleshooting Shelf Life workshop takes place Jan. 10 in Lacombe and April 11 in Airdrie. The workshop is aimed at producers who sell at farmers markets or directly to consumers and “who want to understand food quality issues and how to determine the shelf life of food products.” Topics include defining what food quality […] Read more
Watch to see if cattle eating cobs when grazing standing corn
There’s a high incidence of mouldy corn this year and if cattle aren’t eating the cobs, they need supplemental feeding
Reading Time: 2 minutes Providing supplemental protein and grain is one option if cattle are grazing mouldy standing corn. “Some corn crops left for late-season grazing have been damaged by the fall weather,” said provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “High humidity, frequent rainfall, and frosts have created ideal conditions for moulds to form. Saprophytic moulds that cause […] Read more
When challenged by consumers, challenge yourself, says expert
Sure, producers should defend what they do when they’re in the right — but they should work to raise the bar when they’re not
Reading Time: 3 minutes When defending agriculture’s social licence to operate, stop making excuses and start raising the bar. “It amounts to excuses — the stories we tell ourselves,” said Mark Bosworth, a leadership consultant at KESA, an Alberta company with clients ranging from businesses and government agencies to NHL teams. He cited a number of common responses when […] Read more
Diesel prices to start edging up in 2017
Commodity News Service Canada – An improving U.S. economy and a global deal to limit oil production should give diesel prices a boost in the coming year. “We’ve been blessed with low diesel prices the past few years but we’re probably looking at higher prices in the New Year,” said Phil Flynn of Price Futures […] Read more
A one-day wonder — 4-H creates a ‘town’ to celebrate centennial
Reading Time: 3 minutes It will be the shortest-lived ‘town’ in Alberta history — but there’ll be a lot happening in Cloverville during the few hours of its existence. Cloverville, which will come into being the morning of Jan. 7 and last until into the evening, is how 4-H Alberta’s Southern Region plans to mark the centennial of the […] Read more
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, says our weather expert
Being snowed in at Christmas has many advantages, argues Daniel Bezte, but big Yuletide snowstorms are relatively rare
Reading Time: 3 minutes The holiday season is about traditions, and so it’s time once again to do my traditional look at Christmas weather across the Prairies. In particular, a look back to see what the warmest and coldest Christmases were, and if there have ever been big Christmas snowstorms. I’ve shared this with you before, but at this […] Read more
Looking for an opportunity in livestock? Bison have a lot to offer
This mighty Prairie ruminant is the complete package when it comes to meeting demand for grass-fed, all-natural meat that comes with a great story
Reading Time: 3 minutes One of the most interesting animals in North America is bison. A ruminant that used to wander our Prairies in the millions has been reduced to around 500,000 head, many in pens on farms. Rugged and remarkable, these ‘knowledge keepers’ have much to teach us about nature itself. Bison love space and they travel as […] Read more
Here’s a primer on carbon taxes and cap and trade in Canada
Alberta is emulating B.C. with a carbon tax, Ontario and Quebec favour cap and trade, and Saskatchewan opposes carbon pricing
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the federal government’s announcement in October of a national carbon pricing policy, many farmer conversations have turned to what a carbon tax is and how it differs from a cap-and-trade system. The government’s plan requires all provinces and territories to have a price on carbon by 2018. In Western Canada, two provinces — B.C. […] Read more
Duration limit lifted from foreign worker program
Canadian farm groups are among the sectors hailing Ottawa’s decision to axe the cumulative duration rule, or “four-in, four-out” policy, which stood to sideline temporary foreign workers from the Canadian market. The federal government announced last Tuesday (Dec. 13) it would lift the restriction, effective immediately. The cumulative duration rule had been in place in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
