Reading Time: 2 minutes Milk producers can’t expect consumers to advocate for the dairy industry if they don’t advocate for themselves,” says Karlee Conway, corporate communications co-ordinator for Alberta Milk producers organization. “When you put yourself out there and get in front of someone else, they will have a much harder time criticizing you,” Conway told Alberta Milk’s spring […] Read more
Farmers must tell their own story, or others will
Don’t take scald rust resistance for granted
Reading Time: 2 minutes Barley growers shouldn’t take scald resistance for granted, says an Alberta Agriculture cereal pathologist. “Pathogens can overcome the varieties and different varieties may differ in background against a particular disease,” Kequan Xi said at the recent Cereal Disease Conference. “You rotate the varieties and the genetic background so this can make varieties last longer and hold […] Read more
Farmers must tell their own story, or others will
Reading Time: 2 minutes Milk producers can’t expect consumers to advocate for the dairy industry if they don’t advocate for themselves,” says Karlee Conway, corporate communications co-ordinator for Alberta Milk producers organization. “When you put yourself out there and get in front of someone else, they will have a much harder time criticizing you,” Conway told Alberta Milk’s spring […] Read more
‘Call of the Land’ turns 60
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Alberta Agriculture’s ‘Call of the Land’ radio show first aired on April 1, 1953, space travel, cellphones and the Internet were still science fiction. No one could have known the show would survive six decades, or eventually be a podcast available on the Internet. ‘Call of the Land,’ Canada’s only publicly funded rural radio […] Read more
Alberta Beef Producers issues mea culpa, pledges to fund forage research
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers has realized its mistake in overlooking forages and now wants to be more involved in the forage industry, said Karin Schmid, the organization’s beef production specialist. Forages were overlooked for several reasons, she said. “Let’s face it, forage research isn’t that sexy,” Schmid said at the recent AGM of the Alberta Forage […] Read more
Growing Forward 2 launched and underway
Reading Time: 2 minutes Agriculture ministers’ Gerry Ritz and Verlyn Olson announced the official launch of the Growing Forward 2 policy framework for Canada’s agricultural and agri-food sector March 25. Alberta’s official announcement was held at the Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator in Leduc. “One size does not fit all in agriculture,” said Minister Gerry Ritz to the large crowd […] Read more
Fruit wineries taking off but getting airborne isn’t easy
Owner of Barr Estate Winery had years of wine-making experience before launching his Sherwood Park operation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Almost anyone can make booze, but making a good fruit wine is a science. “If you go into this business and you’ve never made wine before, you’re in for a world of hurt,” said Rick Barr, who owns Barr Estate Winery in Sherwood Park with his wife Amy and her parents. “Making alcohol is easy. […] Read moreKeep your family from dying in a fire
Rural residents need to make exit plans and be specific in giving directions to fire and rescue services
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada leads the world in fire deaths and it isn’t related to building codes, fire departments or long response times, says TimVandenbrink, deputy fire chief of the City of Spruce Grove. “This may surprise you, because it’s (Canada) one of the worst — more people die in fires in Canada than any other country in […] Read moreSocial media campaign encourages farmers to tell their story to consumer
The non-profit group Farm On wants farmers around the world to talk about their farming experiences via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter on April 22
Reading Time: 2 minutes A group of young Alberta farmers is urging producers from across the province, and around the world, to join a social media ‘Farm Voices’ campaign on April 22 and tell the public what really happens on farms. “About 80 per cent of the search results in Google are results from non-farming organizations telling farmers’ stories,” […] Read moreEconomist says agriculture is in new era that offers both opportunities and challenges
Larry Martin says while global demand for food is rising, producers need to think hard about how they respond to it
Reading Time: 2 minutes These are unprecedented times for agriculture, but that presents new challenges, says a leading agricultural economist. “Are we going to have these high prices that we’ve seen for these last few years, or is that just a glitch?” Larry Martin asked attendees at the recent Smoky Lake Agricultural Conference. “We’ve never had a five-year glitch […] Read more