Reading Time: < 1 minute A new initiative aims to identify barriers faced by rural Alberta women entrepreneurs in the regional food economy and then develop a pilot project to help overcome them. “Participating in regional food systems not only creates economic growth for a region, but also provides entrepreneurs an opportunity to create value-added food adding to the long-term […] Read more
New project supports rural Alberta women entrepreneurs
Online survey open until Feb. 29
Coop Federee to offer Olymel stake
Reuters — Quebec-based La Coop Federee, one of Canada’s biggest farmer co-operatives, is offering for sale up to 49 per cent of pork processor Olymel, to help fund expansion in Western Canada, CEO Gaetan Desroches said in an interview. La Co-op would retain control of Olymel, which along with Maple Leaf Foods is one of […] Read more
Environmental farm plans to cover species at risk
A new online tool will include technical tips and best management practices for protecting species at risk and habitat
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is adding a species-at-risk component. A $200,000 federal grant will be used to create an online tool to help producers learn about opportunities to conserve species at risk on their farms and find out whether they meet sustainable sourcing standards. Last summer, the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of […] Read more
Bill 6 controversy flares again
The province plans to hand-pick who it will consult with
Reading Time: 2 minutes A coalition of Alberta farm groups wants the provincial government to put the brakes on its proposed Bill 6 consultation model. In mid-February, the province held a two-week nomination process to gather names for six separate working groups to consult on Bill 6, the controversial Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. The problem […] Read more
Pork market looks to improve by spring
CNS Canada — Canadian pork prices are feeling a modest bump upward as healthy U.S. exports clean up some excess North American pork supplies. Canadian slaughter-weight prices hit their lows in November and December — and since then, they have increased about 30 per cent, according to Brad Marceniuk, a livestock economist for Saskatchewan’s agriculture […] Read more
Good workplaces attract good workers
FarmTech: Farms can’t afford oilfield wages — but they can offer lots of ‘intangible’ benefits that really matter to people
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kevin Serfas had to change his way of thinking when he decided to expand his farm near Lethbridge. “One thing we’ve learned along the way is that we can’t run the farm by ourselves anymore,” said Serfas, who runs a 56,000-acre grain operation and 6,000-head feedlot with his father and brother. “We had to realize […] Read more
Make your farm an international destination
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ever heard of the International Experience Canada program? It’s been a winner for Serfas Farms. The program grants visas — typically for one year — for students aged 18 to 29 who want to work, study, and travel in Canada. Kevin Serfas doesn’t use the Temporary Foreign Worker program but has had about 40 international […] Read more
Love for Ag Expo never wanes
Meeting exhibitor demand is biggest challenge of ever-popular Lethbridge event
Reading Time: 3 minutes February holds a special place in the hearts of agricultural producers in southern Alberta, and we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day. It does represent a kind of love, however — in this case, the love farmers have towards the latest, shiniest new farm equipment. And just as it has for over 100 years, it can […] Read more
Alberta water supply looking good
Reading Time: < 1 minute Current snowpack conditions are looking pretty good in all of the head works for Alberta irrigation districts except for the southern tributary as the St. Mary’s River is currently tracking below-normal levels. The Oldman and Bow river systems are tracking at normal and higher-than-normal levels, said provincial irrigation water engineer Lloyd Healy. Reservoir levels in […] Read more
Manitoba hunters, ranchers seek rural night-hunting ban
Manitoba’s hunter and rancher groups are calling on the province to tighten its enforcement against night hunting and ban the activity among all hunters in the province’s populated rural areas. The call Tuesday from the Manitoba Wildlife Federation follows a Sept. 10 near-miss in which a couple near Winnipegosis, about 60 km north of Dauphin, […] Read more
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