Nairobi | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Flash floods in drought-stricken parts of Ethiopia have killed people and livestock and are blocking food aid deliveries to hungry communities, a charity said. Ethiopians have been waiting for the spring rains to replenish water sources and to plant crops after the most severe drought in decades pushed more […] Read more
Floods cause deaths, block food aid in drought-hit Ethiopia
Alberta land prices continue to soar
Farm cash receipts were a ‘pleasant surprise’ last year and that kept upward pressure on land prices
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was another big year for Alberta and Canadian farmland prices, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual survey. On average, provincial farmland prices jumped by 11.6 per cent, the ag lender said in its 2015 Farmland Values Report while nationally they rose 10.1 per cent. But there are a lot of variations across the province, […] Read more
Warning issued as anthrax shows up early
Having a case this early in the year is unusual and the dry spring may be to blame
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed a case of anthrax in a cow in Mackenzie County. A few cases of anthrax are reported in Western Canada nearly every year, typically between July and mid-September and usually following hot weather. This case is unusual in that it was detected in March. Anthrax spores survive in soil, […] Read more
Getting ready to deal with consumers’ expectations of the food system
New research shows the public expects farmers, food companies, grocery chains, and restaurants to work as partners
Reading Time: 3 minutes Siddhartha Gautama, the Indian fellow who we in the western world refer to as Buddha, once said: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” And in this he was right, for when we are ready to learn or seek some form of knowledge, someone comes into our life to enlighten us. Enlightenment has […] Read more
Agristability application window closing
Deadline for applications is April 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute The deadline for enrolling in AgriStability is just days away. “AgriStability provides ‘whole-farm’ coverage for all commodities and perils that are not necessarily covered through other forms of insurance. Coverage is specific to your farm operation,” said Norm Gueutal, AFSC team co-ordinator, adding the program is a low-cost way to manage risk. “Fees are based on […] Read more
Increasing demand has Alberta’s rabbit industry hopping along
But the sector could be expanding more rapidly if there were more slaughter capacity
Reading Time: 2 minutes The rabbit industry is moving more like the tortoise than the hare — but with good reason. “Because rabbits are small, they lend themselves to surviving in unhygienic and unsatisfactory conditions for them,” Marion Popkin, a member of the Alberta Rabbit Producers Association, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted by Alberta Farm Animal […] Read more
Group wants to help new farmers find success
Young Agrarians in B.C. aims to meet the needs of new farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s no secret that there’s a need for new farmers to join the aging agricultural industry, but new entrants have their own unique challenges. That’s where Young Agrarians, a group designed to meet the needs of the new farmer, comes in. Young Agrarians, formed in B.C. in 2012, launched an Alberta chapter in February. It’s […] Read more
A big-picture look at why this winter was so unusually warm
An ongoing battle between a western ridge and eastern trough explains why Alberta has been warmer than average for so long
Reading Time: 3 minutes No matter which way you look at it, winter is over across agricultural Alberta — and it was definitely a warm one. While it won’t go down in the record books, Alberta’s been in a persistently long warm spell with seven consecutive months of above-average temperatures recorded at all three of the main locations. Winter […] Read more
Newfoundland, in cost-cutting mode, scraps agrifood fund
A fund meant to support large-scale agrifood projects in Newfoundland and Labrador is a victim of spending cuts in the province’s latest budget. Finance Minister Cathy Bennett on Thursday mapped out an overall $8.48 billion provincial budget for 2016-17, with an expected deficit of $1.8 billion and a list of “measures to reduce spending.” For the […] Read more
Educate consumers through Open Farm Days
Reading Time: < 1 minute Registration for Open Farm Days 2016 is now open. Last year’s event had more than 70 participating farms; 18 farm-to-table culinary events; 10,000 visits to farms; and almost $100,000 in food and on-farm sales. The event, which runs from Aug. 20-21 this year, provides an opportunity to support local food producers, educate consumers about agriculture, and […] Read more
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