Reading Time: 4 minutes Though many claim that soil is the building block of life, Christine Jones has a different approach. “It’s not the soil that is the building block of life. It’s the plants,” the internationally acclaimed soil scientist and agricultural consultant said at a sold-out appearance in Olds. The Australian also drew a large crowd in Rycroft, […] Read more
Scientist says plants — not soil — are the building blocks of life
Australian soil scientist Christine Jones challenges conventional thinking by arguing microbes and fungi are the key to soil health
New program for dairy producers aims to reassure consumers
ProAction replaces the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding components for animal care and environmental sustainability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dairy producers are revamping the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding protocols for animal care, on-farm food safety, traceability, biosecurity, and environmental sustainability. The new national accreditation program, called ProAction, was designed with consumers in mind, said Mike Slomp, industry and member services manager with Alberta Milk. “ProAction is about the social licence to operate, […] Read more
Sherwood Park man invents new cattle tracker with multiple uses
Wireless rumen bolus can track cattle and other livestock and also measure their temperature to predict sickness or fertility cycles
Reading Time: 2 minutes It all started with a simple idea. Neil Helfrich, a Sherwood Park inventor, had a moment of inspiration when his wife brought home a puppy in 2007. The dog had a microchip implant, which identifies the animal but can’t track it if it runs away. A device able to do the latter, Helfrich realized, would […] Read more
Will BIXS be part of the new sustainable beef system?
The Beef InfoXchange System has struggled to attract producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes In order for McDonald’s to sell “verified sustainable beef,” someone will have to do the verifying — but questions remain about whether the favoured candidate is up to the job. “One of the reasons that McDonald’s chose to do the (pilot) project in Canada was because of the foundations like BIXS, the environmental farm plans, […] Read more
EXCLUSIVE: Loblaws jumps on board the sustainable beef initiative
Canada’s largest food retailer has joined McDonald’s, the largest beef buyer, in an undertaking that could reshape the cattle sector
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s largest food retailer has pledged to start selling sustainable beef, joining forces with the country’s largest beef buyer in an initiative that could reshape the industry, Alberta Farmer has learned. Loblaws, which has more than 1,000 stores serving 14 million Canadians weekly, already has a sustainable seafood program and is keen to do the […] Read more
A French adventure for young Alberta shepherd
Reading Time: 2 minutes Adriane Good now has a lifelong distinction — the first Canadian to participate in the World Young Shepherd’s Challenge. The 20-year-old travelled to France this fall to compete against other young shepherds from around the world — although it was friendly competition. “Honestly, the best part of it was meeting all these people from around […] Read more
American soil health guru plants seeds in Alberta
In-demand speaker barnstorms province to talk about building better soil with ‘cocktail’ cover crops and integrated crops/livestock system
Reading Time: 3 minutes Gabe Brown found some fertile Alberta soil for his message that diversity builds soil health and boosts profitability. The North Dakota farmer and soil health guru did a barnstorm tour of the province in the last week of October, starting in the Peace Country community of Grimshaw, swinging through Legal and Vermilion, and then zigging […] Read more
U of A agriculture school celebrates centennial
Faculty has made extensive contributions provincially, nationally and internationally
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a big birthday party that will go on all year, and hundreds of people are invited. The University of Alberta’s agriculture faculty will be celebrating its centennial until November 2015. The school opened in 1915 with only 16 students but today, the rechristened faculty of agriculture, life and environmental sciences (ALES) has 1,500 undergraduates, […] Read more
Don’t let this comedian drive your combine
Rick Mercer rolls into Round Hill at harvest time
Reading Time: 2 minutes Most farmers just go about their harvest days combining by themselves, alone in the cab. But that goes out the window when CBC TV star Rick Mercer shows up. “They had about three or four cameras all over the combine, and a drone with a camera on it taking pictures,” said Round Hill producer Humphrey […] Read more
Alberta’s first positive PEDv test means increased vigilance
A positive test for PEDv and a second one for swine delta coronavirus were recorded at handling facilities, not farms
Reading Time: 4 minutes Two positive tests for porcine diseases in the province have experts reminding Alberta producers to enhance their biosecurity. A PCR test found porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the office at a pig-handling facility — the first time the virus has been found in Alberta. A second test, also at a pig-handling facility, detected a […] Read more
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