Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers have a role to play by helping researchers learn more about cutworms, Lethbridge College soil scientist Jeremy Hummel told a session at Farm Tech. He said researchers currently don’t have adequate tools to help them identify all the cutworm species. Knowing more about the cutworm outbreaks, species and locations can help researchers recommend the […] Read more
Wanted: your cutworm
Livestock Identification Services awaits your call
TROUBLE SPOTS Chad VanderMeer says there are some bad apples when it comes to livestock dealers, and producers shouldn’t hesitate to complain if there’s a problem
Reading Time: 2 minutes Who you gonna call? When livestock goes missing or a dealer’s cheque doesn’t arrive, forget Ghostbusters — call Livestock Identification Services. Plenty of people do call LIS if an animal wanders onto their property or disappears from their herd, says Chad VanderMeer, an inspector with the agency’s Education and Compliance Division and a cow-calf producer […] Read moreGet with the system, inspector urges
Reading Time: 2 minutes Some producers still don’t have premise identification even though it’s critical in emergencies, says an inspector with Livestock Identification Services. “If your information is not in the system, there’s no way the Chief Provincial Veterinarian will contact you or know that you exist,” said Chad VanderMeer. That’s critical if there’s an infectious disease outbreak or […] Read more
Province hosts workshops in response to growing interest in horticulture
HORT CHECKLIST There’s a host of questions — ranging from water and soil to markets and labour requirements — for those wanting to get into fruit and veggie production
Reading Time: 2 minutes You don’t start baking a cake without assembling all your ingredients first, and it’s the same when planning a fruit and vegetable operation. “You need to gather as much information as possible” said Rob Spencer, commercial horticulture specialist with Alberta Agriculture in Stettler. “Having that information will allow you to do all sorts of things.” […] Read moreResearchers aim for more ‘crop per drop’ by developing drought-resistant barley
THIRST QUENCHERS Alberta scientists used high-tech equipment to look at how plants lose water and how to identify ones with superior water efficiency traits
Reading Time: 2 minutes A team of Alberta scientists has found a way to help plant breeders create less thirsty varieties of barley. The goal is to get more ‘crop per drop,’ but researchers are quick to point out there are limits to drought resistance. “These varieties aren’t helpful in situations when there is no water, just in conditions […] Read moreCelebration of Alberta agriculture strikes a chord
LOOKING GOOD Video features images of cattle ranchers, beekeepers, bison and the beauty of the Alberta landscape set to a country song entitled ‘Long love this land’
Reading Time: 2 minutes A YouTube video celebrating the people, power, and passion of agriculture in Alberta has touched a chord with Albertans and people around the world, says a marketing official with ATB Financial. “We wanted to do something that was different, that people would want to watch and share and relate to, rather than just ATB Agriculture […] Read moreWanted: More Canadian goats, more Canadian producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a good time to be a goat farmer, and it would be even better if there were more goat farmers to supply the growing demand, says the vice-president of the Alberta Goat Breeders Association (AGBA). “The Canadian palate is changing. We have a lot more ethnic diversity and people coming into Canada,” said Laurie […] Read more
Veteran sheep producer says high standards are the key to his success
HIGH STANDARDS Patrick Smith’s ewes produce an average of 3.4 lambs and have to lamb on their own or else they are culled from the flock
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want a high-performance flock, you can’t tolerate problem ewes, says a veteran Manitoba producer. “We have always been very vigorous about removing any ewe that has any problems,” Patrick Smith said at a recent Alberta Lamb Producers meeting in Leduc. “If the ewe can’t succeed in our operation, it has to go. If […] Read moreNew campaign wants to create a passion for pork
THINKING YOUNG Facebook, YouTube and Twitter all play key role in the “Passion for Pork” marketing campaign
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s nothing better than a nice pork roast or chop — if you’re an older male. But if you’re under age 25, neither is likely to show up on the dinner table. That’s something a new Alberta Pork marketing campaign hopes to change. Alberta Pork delegates got an overview of the “Passion for Pork” campaign […] Read moreYou can blame aster yellows on bad luck, but not blackleg
Hope for a cold winter this year to knock back aster yellows, loosen up your canola rotations to avoid blackleg, and pick your pulse cultivars with disease resistance in mind. Those were three key pieces of advice offered by plant pathologist Michael Harding at Alberta Pulse Growers’ recent meeting. Aster yellows have been stealing yield […] Read more