Reading Time: 2 minutes It was a weekend of rodeo competition Morgan Burgermeister will remember for the rest of her life. The 15-year-old from Hanna emerged from the 19th annual Calgary Stampede 4-H Rodeo with one of the much coveted championship belt buckles, the Reserve High Point title, and a lot of great memories. “It’s hard to pick just […] Read more
Champions crowned at Calgary Stampede 4-H Rodeo
Z Tags owner Datamars reportedly up for sale
Frankfurt | Reuters — Buyout group Columna Capital is preparing its Swiss animal tagging group Datamars for a sale in a potential deal that could be worth as much as over 300 million Swiss francs (C$404 million), two people close to the deal said. The private equity investor has asked investment advisory boutique Evercore to […] Read more
Alberta community groups receive funding
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fifteen groups in Alberta are among the 78 rural Canadian organizations receiving $1 million in grants from Farm Credit Canada’s FCC AgriSpirit Fund this year. The fund awards between $5,000 and $25,000 for community improvement projects, such as hospitals and medical centres, childcare facilities, fire and rescue equipment, playgrounds, food banks, libraries, recreation centres, and community […] Read more
Young Speakers registration now open
Deadline for entrants is Sept. 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute The deadline for entering the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition is Sept. 30, and the organization has a new website making it easier to register. The topics for 2016 are: What is the impact of public opinion on Canadian farmers? How would you explain a GMO to a non-farmer? What does the next generation […] Read more
Province offers training to new farmers
Information session to be held Oct. 18 in Airdrie
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is hosting the Getting into Farming information session on Oct. 18 in Airdrie. “The session is aimed at those thinking about getting into a farming business and making it their primary source of income,” said new-venture specialist Kathy Bosse. “It’ll provide information about farming at a pretty high level to give a […] Read more
Farm Business Communications in online award running
The online arm of Winnipeg ag journal publisher Farm Business Communications (FBC) is representing at this fall’s Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs). The COPAs, to be presented Nov. 7 in Toronto, are a juried competition to promote and support Canada’s digital publishing industry, and are operated by Mississauga-based publishing sector magazine Masthead. Finalists for the […] Read more
Why I keep a pair of little yellow wellies on my desk
The small rubber boots are the symbol of a U.K. safety campaign and a reminder we need to do more to keep our children safe on the farm
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a pair of little yellow rubber boots — or wellies as they are called in other countries — sitting on my desk. They are a gift from fellow scholar James Chapman, who is studying and speaking out about farm safety around the world. James lost his arm in a farm accident. The idea […] Read more
Running from dawn to dusk: Women ag entrepreneurs face extra challenges
Operating a farm, raising kids, and building a business often mean there’s no time for conferences and other vital learning opportunities
Reading Time: 5 minutes At first, Kim Good didn’t really see the point of a program geared toward women agri-food entrepreneurs. “I sometimes get a little annoyed at the fact women need more programming than anybody else,” said Good, who co-owns Farm Fresh Pet Foods, which has a line of healthy dog food products made from Alberta-sourced ingredients. “I […] Read more
A close call averted for Alberta beekeepers
A decade ago, winterkill was up to 40 per cent annually — a rate that could have ravaged the beekeeping sector
Reading Time: 2 minutes The good news is Alberta’s bee populations are currently strong and healthy. The deeper story is just how close the province came to losing this priceless resource. Medhat Nasr, provincial apiculturist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, has been closely involved in the challenges and comeback of the province’s bees in recent years. “Over the past […] Read more
Cara to buy control of Original Joe’s chains
Chain restaurant firm Cara Operations is set to buy a bigger presence in Canada’s West, with a deal for control of the Original Joe’s, State + Main, and Elephant + Castle pub-style restaurant chains. Cara, whose other chains in North America include Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s, announced last week it will pay $93 million for […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
