Reading Time: 3 minutes New rules phasing out gestation stalls and requiring pain medication for castration are proof pork producers are responding to consumer concerns, says the chair of Alberta Pork. “We think it’s an important thing to have, and if we follow the code, we’ll have to deal with less random outside influence, if you will,” said Frank […] Read more
Novak: New pig welfare code shows ‘extremists’ wrong
Frank Novak says new guidelines on pain mitigation and gestation stalls show pork producers are responding to concerns
Farmers forced to accept high land rents despite low crop prices
Grain prices are way down, but it’s expected land rents will take awhile to follow suit
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop prices have plunged, but land rents look like they’ll stay high for a while. “I know that there are guys around here who are renting land for way more than it’s worth,” said Kelly Burkhardt, a Wetaskiwin grain and cattle farmer who rents 450 of his 1,000 acres of cropland. “At the end of […] Read more
Daysland lamb producer reveals her secret for success
Lisa and Troy Greenstein were thinking about hobby farming when they left city life behind, but it’s become much more
Reading Time: 3 minutes Persistence is the key ingredient if you want to get your farm product into grocery stores, say Lisa and Troy Greenstein. “I’m like a dog with a bone — if I get an idea in my head, I don’t let it drop until we get there,” said Lisa. “Two and a half years ago, I […] Read more
Vaccine being developed to combat ‘insidious’ and widespread Johne’s disease
University of Calgary has an ingenious plan — create a version of a bacteria that would allow cows to develop immunity
Reading Time: 2 minutes Johne’s disease has no cure and causes production problems on three of every four Alberta dairy farms. But researchers at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine say they’re making steady progress on a vaccine. “Since there is no cure for it, all you can do is try to prevent your herd from getting […] Read more
Felfie entrants getting the word out about agriculture
Reading Time: 2 minutes They are the faces of Alberta farming — 14 of them anyway. The felfie craze has died down a bit since Alberta Farmer invited producers to send in their farmer selfies a month and a half ago. But the effort to show the world that there are real, everyday people behind every food item on […] Read more
Double whammy for oat growers as railways focus on West Coast backlog
Virtually all of the Prairie oat harvest goes to the U.S., but growers say shipping south isn’t even on the radar of the railways
Reading Time: 3 minutes The clogged rail system is affecting every grain producer on the Prairies, but oats growers are feeling additional pain. Market analyst Randy Strychar has called the situation a “train wreck,” noting some companies aren’t putting out bids until February 2015. “It’s not out of line to say that we’re probably one of the worst-hit crops,” […] Read more
Push comes to shove — railways ordered to double grain movement
The federal government is promising a legislated fix to ensure railway performance
Reading Time: 4 minutes The railways have their marching orders — double grain shipments in four weeks or face daily fines of up to $100,000. But what happens next? Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says new federal legislation is coming, and farmers and grain companies are hoping it will do what the Fair Freight Service Act of 2012 didn’t — […] Read more
Wild horse capture over, but opponents vow to fight on
No decisions made about contraception program to reduce horse numbers or cull in 2015
Reading Time: 3 minutes The wild horse cull has ended, but not the controversy. Just 15 horses were captured — a small fraction of the 196 allowed under permits issued by the province. This year’s short season was likely a factor, said a government spokesperson. Legislation allows the capture season to run from Nov. 1 to March 1, but […] Read more
Many factors to consider with cattle price insurance coverage
There’s a learning curve for the Cattle Price Insurance Program
Reading Time: 3 minutes You’re finally making money. Do you part with some of it to insure the bottom line? The Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) was launched by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation four years ago. The program offers prices insurance on finished cattle in the feedlot or feeder cattle, as well as for calves sold in the fall. […] Read more
Tight supplies and rising prices give cattle producers a reason to smile
Low herd numbers are expected to buoy cattle prices for three to four years, but COOL is taking a bite from the bottom line
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cattle prices are the best they’ve been on a per-head basis in the last 10 years — although how good depends on how you look at it. “The market right now is fantastic,” said Herb Lock of Farm$ense Marketing. “Cow-calf producers right now are in their second world, floating around in the sky compared to […] Read more
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