Reading Time: 3 minutes Twitter is the new coffee shop for farmers, but there’s nothing like talking face to face. Which is why John Kowalchuk is a faithful Agri-Trade attendee. “The fact you can network and talk to other people about their experiences, I think that’s a big part that makes Agri-Trade what it is,” said the Rumsey-area farmer. […] Read more
Farm shows can boost your bottom line, says Agri-Trade attendee
John Kowalchuk can point to a host of innovations on his farm that began with something he saw or heard about at the Red Deer event
New super agency aims to help diversify economy
Alberta Innovates merges four agencies, including two that had been involved in agricultural projects
Reading Time: 2 minutes Four Albertan agencies are merging into one large entity in order to become more cost efficient and competitive. On Nov. 1, Alberta Innovates became a legal entity, absorbing Alberta Innovates Tech Futures; Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions; Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions; and Alberta Innovates Health Solutions. “There’s a lot of stake in this because […] Read more
Last five years were hottest on record
Morocco/Reuters – The past five years were the hottest on record with mounting evidence that heat waves, floods and rising sea levels are stoked by man-made climate change, the United Nations weather agency said on Tuesday. Some freak weather events would have happened naturally but the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said greenhouse gas emissions had […] Read more
Canada invests in Canadian biomass and composites industries
Federal and provincial governments are investing up to $2.9 million to the Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba for two initiatives. The funds will go towards the development of quality standards and measurement techniques for Canadian biomass, and research into overcoming technology barriers to the adoption of natural fibres in the composites industry, a news release says. […] Read more
There is truth in old sayings, and value in flipping them around
We should challenge ourselves by welcoming other perspectives, questioning conventional wisdom, and encouraging diversity
Reading Time: 4 minutes This is column number 200 and that is a reason to celebrate. To kick off the party, let’s put a twist in some old sayings and look at the importance of our story. If you farmed today… You have heard it before — ‘If you ate today, thank a farmer’ — and that pretty much […] Read more
Battle lines drawn on allowing farm workers to unionize
There’s agreement on issues such as overtime and exempting families from the labour code, but prospect of unionization is a flashpoint
Reading Time: 6 minutes Producers remain at odds with the NDP government’s plan to include the right to unionize — and to go on strike — as part of its workplace safety legislation for farms and ranches. “In some areas, we did see some movement and we did get to resolutions,” said Gord Winkel, interim executive director of the […] Read more
Farm groups plan to lead the way on workplace safety
With Bill 6 consultations drawing to a close, AgCoalition aims to ‘show the world’ how to make farms safer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Now that the province’s Bill 6 consultation process is nearing an end, what’s next for the unprecedented coalition of Alberta farm groups? “The AgCoalition was initially set up to advance a safety culture, and yet it got embroiled in a consultation process that it didn’t really have a lot of time or purchase for,” said […] Read more
Ignoring Trump, UN talks seek to turn climate pledges into action
Morocco/Reuters – Almost 200 nations began work on Monday to turn promises for fighting climate change into action at a UN conference that played down threats to a 2015 global agreement if Republican Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidency. At the start of two-week talks in Morocco, many delegates wore badges with a smiling picture […] Read more
Green jobs eligible for wage subsidy
A new Career Focus Green Jobs program is offering wage subsidies to help employers with an environmental focus hire new graduates, a federal release says. The program targets small- and medium-sized businesses to help reduce the cost barriers of hiring new graduates by subsidizing their salary by 50 per cent to a maximum of $13,500 […] Read more
Arctic sea ice retreat pinned to individuals’ emissions-study
Morocco/Reuters – Drive your car 4,000 km and its greenhouse gas emissions will melt three square metres (32 square feet) of ice on the Arctic Ocean, according to a new study that found a direct link between carbon dioxide and the shrinking ice. Examining long-term trends for ice floating on the ocean since the 1950s, […] Read more
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