Reading Time: 3 minutes If your greatest joy in farming is seeing nice, even emergence, you can’t beat a precision planter. “We tried a bunch of pulse crops, including field peas, chickpeas, lentils, faba beans, soybeans, and we also tried it on irrigated durum and hemp,” said Farming Smarter researcher Gurbir Dhillon. “Seedling emergence and stand establishment improved across […] Read more
Precision planting: Good looks and high yields don’t always go together
Precision-planted crops look great at emergence, but lose that edge if timely rains don't come
Historic document protects the role of grazing on Crown lands
Having a clear, solid agreement recognizing ranchers as stewards is very important, say cattle leaders
Reading Time: 3 minutes Leaseholders can breathe a sigh of relief now that the province has formally recognized the role that grazing plays on public lands, say cattle leaders. The new Rangeland Grazing Framework recognizes that the stewardship of ranchers is critical to the health and future of Crown lands, said two signatories to the new agreement. “It helps […] Read more
Open the border to replacement bee packages, say Alberta beekeepers
Producers need ‘a lifeline’ when winter losses soar
Reading Time: 2 minutes It wasn’t the worst winter they’ve seen, but Alberta beekeepers struggling with hive losses say Ottawa should allow imports of American bee replacements. “It’s important for Canadian beekeepers to have that lifeline, in the event that we have catastrophic losses,” said Lorne Prins, vice-president of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission. “In all fairness, most producers will […] Read more
You grow food, but have you ever thought about making it?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It doesn’t sound like a farm show — and it’s not — but primary producers are one of the target audiences for the soon-to-be-launched Agri-Food Innovation Expo. “The initial event is a conference with a small trade show, with a bit of a focus on those who wish to expand their farm business and get […] Read more
Federal ‘climate action’ grants are a huge hit with Alberta producers
More than 1,000 applications have flooded in, prompting program administrator to push the pause button
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta farmers love Ottawa’s “climate action” program so much that applications have been paused until late summer. “It’s a pretty lucrative program and people were actually aware of it this year,” said Johanna Murray, extension coordinator with Peace Country Beef and Forage Association. “There were people who didn’t get around to applying last year because […] Read more
Unique year-round grazing method pays major dividends
Constant searching for new grazing ideas has led Dave Sammons to a strategy that works
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cow-calf producer Dave Sammons has come up with a unique and varied grazing strategy that has cut his workload and feed bills while boosting organic matter. His system on his mixed farm near Gleichen includes stubble grazing into early winter, then moving the herd onto cover crops, and then onto corn. “The grazing has helped […] Read more
Silence follows in wake of ouster of farm groups’ senior managers
Tom Steve was highly regarded in the grain sector but was abruptly dismissed with no reasons given
Reading Time: 3 minutes The board directors of Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are staying mum on why they abruptly ousted Tom Steve, their highly regarded general manager. Steve, chief operating officer Syeda Khurram and FarmCash program manager Hasan Kazmi were all dismissed on April 26. The two cereal groups didn’t announce the dismissals, and when the news broke […] Read more
Awards not just about achievement but about encouraging others
Reading Time: 4 minutes When Melody Garner-Skiba was growing up on a ranch in southwestern Alberta, her parents gave her the same opportunities as her brothers. “I like to say I was the hired hand when my brothers left the ranch,” she said. “For me, agriculture has always been a part of my life.” That’s doubly true now. Garner-Skiba […] Read more
Despite new deal, the issue of checkoff refunds far from settled
Alberta Beef Producers says beef sector needs to have ‘fully funded’ cattle organizations
Reading Time: 3 minutes The funding deal struck between Alberta Beef Producers and the Canadian Cattle Association earlier this year won’t mean drastic changes for either organization in the short term, says the chair of the provincial cattle group. But his organization won’t be reining in its efforts to dissuade feedlots and producers from requesting checkoff refunds, said Brodie […] Read more
New program offers big dollars for providing eco-services on your land
New ‘resilient’ farm program offers up to $150,000 for items such as rotational grazing and restoring wetlands
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you always wanted to try rotational grazing or protect riparian areas? Then say hello to a new government program called the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP). There has never been a program quite like this one, said Giselle Ulrich, a grant program specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. “A lot of the best management […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
