Agri-news

Reading Time: < 1 minute The 4-H Senior Members’ Conference (SMC) saw 90 senior-aged 4-H delegates from across the province journey to the Alberta 4-H Centre for the last weekend in January. “It was another very successful weekend,” says 4-H specialist, Cameron Horner. “The passion that 4-H members have towards SMC is second-to- none and as always the ambassadors did […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Across Alberta, the year-to-year variability of water supply is an increasing concern. Historic sources of water are frequently no longer sufficient to meet needs and farmers, ranchers and others are searching for solutions. Producers may find some help in the Growing Forward Water Management program. The goal of the water program is to provide technical […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute As consumers become more aware of just how safe their food is, it’s becoming increasingly important for food processors to adopt formal food safety programs. “The Safe Food Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development is surveying Alberta food processors to help refine current programs and resources, and develop new programs and resources in order […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute “HACCP (pronounced Hass-ip) is short for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, and is a food safety system for food processors that can help generate an assurance of food safety,” says Monika Frank-Ruediger, food safety specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. To understand how HACCP can help improve food safety in a facility, a DVD, […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes With lambing, foaling and calving season right around the corner, it’s time to think about safe handling of sharps. “Sharps” is the universal term used for items such as needles, scalpel blades or broken glass from medicine bottles. In 2009, hypodermic needles with syringes accounted for 32 per cent of the farm tool injuries reported […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes A new decision-support tool to assist cattle producers in calculating their cost of production and break-even prices, has been posted to Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s website. The new tool is an updated version of the highly successful Rancher’s Return excel spreadsheet calculator. “The 2011 version extends the initial cow-calf analysis farther through the supply […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute Due to dry conditions in the Peace Region, the Government of Alberta is waiving the rental fees, retroactive to January 1, for Peace Region producers who used the province’s Emergency Water Pumping Program. More than 200 Peace Region producers used that program, which allowed them to rent aluminum pipe and pumps from the department of […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes This year, forage supplies are up and demand is down, a total reversal of last year. The availability or supply, in many cases, has resulted in hay prices reduced by half from the highs experienced in 2009. Given this scenario, hay buyers can afford to be selective in their purchases. In order for hay producers […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Soil compaction is not considered a widespread serious problem in Alberta. However, soil compaction can be a serious and unnecessary form of soil degradation that can result in increased soil erosion and decreased crop production. “Soil compression by agricultural equipment can cause soil particles to become compacted,” says Ross McKenzie, research scientist – agronomy, with […] Read more