doing paperwork on a desk

New accounting standards for farms proposed

Canada’s accounting standards organization wants to 
make farm accounting simpler and more predictable

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s professional standards body for accountants is developing new accounting standards for Canadian farms. A standardized approach will make understanding farm accounts simpler and business more straightforward, the Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada says. Currently there’s a hodgepodge of ways to do farm accounts, mainly due to the unique nature of these businesses, said […] Read more

When visitors come on your land

When visitors come on your land

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers’ wildlife committee has reviewed the Occupiers’ Liability Act and posted its findings at albertabeef.org. Landowners must warn visitors of hazards and ensure the property is safe. If there’s an injury or death, negligence needs to be shown and if the farmer was somehow negligent in communicating a situation on the farm, that […] Read more


Donation supports ag technician lab

Reading Time: < 1 minute Western Tractor Company is making a donation worth $750,000 to Lethbridge College for its Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Technician apprenticeship program. The gift will support the college’s new trades and technologies facility through the creation of the Western Tractor Technology Lab — an advanced agricultural technologies room inside the first phase of the new building. […] Read more



Fourth of July celebrations at Vermont’s State House in Montpelier. (Legislature.vermont.gov)

Quebec again ponders mandatory GMO labelling

Quebec’s agriculture minister has telegraphed an interest in following the lead of a next-door neighbour to require mandatory labelling for foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The province’s governing Liberals previously called for such a system, making a GMO label law part of their election platform back in 2003, but have been quiet about their […] Read more

Everyone working on a farm — whether employees or family — should have a job description and know their roles and responsibilities.

Humans — your most important farm resource

Attracting and retaining good workers on your farm doesn’t just happen — you have to make it happen

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you don’t have people, you don’t have a farm. It’s as simple as that. While most producers think about their farm in terms of their livestock and crops, they neglect to think about the people, says a rural business specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. But that needs to change, Abby Verstraete told attendees […] Read more


(Giuseppe Carotenuto photo courtesy FAO)

Food commodity prices seen stable over next decade

Paris | Reuters –– Higher agricultural productivity and slightly larger crop areas in the coming decade will cover rises in food demand, leading to stable prices and a period of more restrained agricultural markets, the FAO and OECD said Monday. In their annual Agricultural Outlook report, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organisation for […] Read more

“We all want our employees to be going home at night safe and in the same condition that they came to work in,” says Kevin Serfas.

Moving past the Bill 6 rhetoric

AgCoalition meetings focus on creating sensible workplace safety rules

Reading Time: 5 minutes The Alberta government’s town halls on Bill 6 last winter were explosive, but recent industry-led meetings didn’t produce similar fireworks. “I thought the meeting went very well. There were lots of ideas thrown around between farmers and the facilitators,” said Turin-area farmer Kevin Serfas, who attended AgCoalition’s producer meeting in Lethbridge on June 22. “The […] Read more


Invasive species — such as this quagga mussel — pose a major threat to the aquatic ecosystem.

Western Canada unites in fight against invasive species

Joint agreement will boost fight to keep zebra 
and quagga mussels out of Alberta

Reading Time: < 1 minute A joint agreement among Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Yukon tightens the grip on invasive species. The Inter-Provincial Territorial Agreement for Co-ordinated Regional Defence Against Invasive Species is a step towards better co-ordination among jurisdictions on both prevention and co-ordinated response if invasive species are detected in Western Canada. The initial scope of this […] Read more

Award recognizes producers who help pollinators

Award recognizes producers who help pollinators

Nominations open until August 12

Reading Time: < 1 minute Nominations are being sought for the 2016 Canadian Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award. Individuals or families in Canada currently implementing pollinator protection measures on their farm or ranch are encouraged to apply. The award recognizes farmers and ranchers who have made significant efforts in conserving natural ecosystems, fostering additional pollinator habitat, and protecting pollinators. It is […] Read more