Photo: Allan Dawson/File

Seeding very close to wrapping up in Alberta

Spring planting in Alberta has almost wrapped up for this year, with the agriculture ministry pegging it at 97 per cent complete province-wide as of June 4. Seeding advanced 20 points on the week with the pace at the five-year average. The greatest overall progress was made in northeastern, northwestern and central Alberta. The northeast […] Read more

Potatoes loaded for planting.

Nakamura brothers win major potato award

Family's commitment to sustainability, efficient packaging gives them an edge in a crowded marketplace

Reading Time: 4 minutes At Nakamura Farms, potatoes are what they do best. In fact, it’s what the family has always done. Now that dedication has been recognized with a major award from Hostess-Frito Lay. The southern Alberta farm is in its fourth generation, operated by brothers Ryland and Lyndon Nakamura. As they head into the growing season, they’re […] Read more


The farm operation that uses a model of diversity and maintains and integrates natural landscapes may be more resilient in times of weather and financial stress.

Alberta irrigation gets $5.5M boost

Replacing open canals is top priority in irrigation plans for funding

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s irrigation districts are getting a $5.5 million boost to an annual cost-share program for modernizing and rehabilitating infrastructure. The boost brings the districts’ total 2024 share to $19 million through the irrigation rehabilitation program (IRP), an agreement between the Alberta government, which contributes 75 per cent, and irrigation districts who fund the other 25 […] Read more

A man is seen outside the house damaged by Russian shelling, Odesa Region, southern Ukraine. (Photo by Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/Sipa USA)

Ukraine: Our common hive

The people of Ukraine continue to adapt, survive and even thrive

Reading Time: 5 minutes You wake up in the morning and drink coffee before starting the work day. You turn on the TV and listen to a long list of deaths and destruction that happened in your country overnight. The announcer speaks almost without emotion, as if he is talking about everyday, ordinary things. You hear that 10 missiles […] Read more


Canola stubble pokes out of the hills in Chad Berry’s direct-seeded potato demonstration plot in 2021.

Making potatoes friendly to soil health

Soil health tactics are not out of reach for the spud sector

Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Potatoes are a high-value crop and one of the world’s most important dietary staples. But when it comes to sustainability, they’ve got a hurdle to clear because there’s no escaping some level of soil disturbance when growing and harvesting. That doesn’t mean the relationship between soil health and the potato sector can’t […] Read more

“We’ve got a runway for growth, which is super exciting. That means more growing of potatoes in Alberta. It means more processing and packaging of the potatoes in Alberta.” – Angela Santiago.

Agri-processing incentive lands first big fish

New tax credit program takes off with potato processor’s expansion plan

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta government’s new tax credit has found its first buyer one year after the program was announced. The Little Potato Company (TLPC) just opened its doors on a new $40 million processing plant in Nisku, south of Edmonton, the location of its initial plant. The tipping point appears to have been the government’s Agri-Processing […] Read more