Reading Time: 2 minutes A plunging loonie and free-falling oil prices will create winners and losers — and farmers will clearly be in the winners’ circle, according to one of Alberta’s top economists. “Agriculture, forestry and tourism will all do well,” said Todd Hirsch, senior economist with ATB Financial. “It’s really a big benefit to agriculture that we are […] Read more
How the plunge in oil prices and the loonie affects you
From inputs and labour to the complex ramifications for the beef industry, the drop in oil prices and the dollar is changing the farm landscape
Alberta producers want cattle checkoff raised
Alberta Beef Producers says its members have endorsed raising the checkoff
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta producers want to see the checkoff on cattle rise by a third — and be made mandatory. Attendees at Alberta Beef Producers’ meetings earlier this winter were asked if they favoured a higher, mandatory checkoff and the answer was a strong ‘yes,’ said Rich Smith, the organization’s executive director. “The producers who attended those […] Read more
New website to shed light on grain prices
Edmonton — Don’t know if your local elevator is offering a good price or not? There’s an app for that. Or at least there will be once www.pdqinfo.ca is fully up and running. The new website, created by the Alberta Wheat Commission with $742,725 in federal funding, aims to give farmers timely and accurate pricing […] Read more
Stewardship is also good business on Bar S Ranch
Reading Time: 2 minutes Good stewardship is also good for the bottom line, says this year’s winner of Alberta Beef Producers’ environmental stewardship award. “Environmental benefits go hand in hand with sustainable management principles,” said Clay Chattaway of Bar S Ranch, located in the Chain Lakes area near Nanton. “If you’re using good management practices, the environment benefits because […] Read more
Latest rail bill highlights the need for change, says farm leader
The $1.3-billion tab for moving last year’s crop shows ‘there will never be an open market,’ says Alberta Wheat chair
Reading Time: 4 minutes The final tally is in and Prairie farmers spent more than $1.3 billion on rail transportation in the last crop year. The average bill was $33.69 a tonne for the 2013-14 crop year (a drop of 30 cents per tonne from the previous year) and the total cost was almost exactly what’s allowed under federal […] Read more
Beef Cattle Research Council looking to stretch research dollars
Council chair says move to a ‘science cluster’ approach provides more bang for the research buck
Reading Time: 2 minutes Funding cuts and restructuring mean organizations such as the Beef Cattle Research Council need to change their research approach and be proactive, says the organization’s chair. Change and downsizing is affecting both government and university research, partly because of funding woes but also because research priorities are changing, said Tim Oleksyn, a mixed cattle and […] Read more
Drought-stricken Peace Country producers get tax break but need rain
It’s been dry, dry, dry in the Peace Country and if the rains don’t come this year, they’ll ‘be hurting big time’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers in northern Alberta can make use of an income tax deferral to help them weather the 2014 drought in the Peace Country. But what they really need is a break from Mother Nature. “In 2013, the Peace Country got average rainfall,” said Valleyview producer Roland Cailliau, a Zone 9 delegate with Alberta Beef […] Read more
Test that feed — expert says ergot contamination on the rise
Last year’s wet spring has left a potential deadly legacy and ‘it doesn’t take much’ ergot to cause serious problems
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ergot-contaminated feed is on the rise and producers need to be testing to avoid poisoning their livestock. “Last year at this time, we were running 20 to 40 samples a month for ergot — we’ve had days this year where we run 40 samples, and lots of them are high concentration,” said Barry Blakley, a […] Read more
Beef leaders aim high with new national strategy
Goals include boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent and increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent in just five years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Business gurus call them Big Hairy Audacious Goals — and now Canadian beef leaders have to figure out how to achieve the ones they’ve set for their industry. “You have to pick a place to get to,” said Trevor Atchison, co-chair of the National Beef Strategic Planning Group. “You can’t make every goal in life, […] Read more
Consumer tracking is changing the way people shop — and view food
Four to Watch: Grocery and restaurant chains know more about their customers than ever before, and are ready to offer them whatever they want
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ellen Goddard doesn’t have a crystal ball — but grocery and restaurant chains do and that’s going to drive change in the food sector and agriculture. The name of their crystal ball is called Big Data. Companies are watching consumers like never before via sophisticated tracking software and monitoring of social media. “Most grocery stores […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
