Simple Vet says flea control isn’t expensive, is easy to administer and allows working dogs to focus on their job
Reading Time: 2 minutes Your working dog won’t be at its best if he or she is itching from a flea infestation. “Flea prevention has become really easy, and there’s really no reason not to have that as part of your dog managing program,” said Lynne Copeland a Red Deer-based veterinarian who specializes in herding, guardian and working dogs. […] Read moreVet says don’t let your four-legged employees suffer from fleas
Goat producers sought for national scrapie study
Reading Time: 2 minutes Goat producers are being urged to participate in a scrapie prevalence study, part of an effort to rid the country of the disease. “What we’re trying to do is establish a strategic plan to get producers involved with scrapie eradication in a way that works for producers,” Corlena Patterson, project co-ordinator of Scrapie Canada, said […] Read more
New council hopes to boost barley’s fortunes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Barley growers are hoping a new national marketing body, the Barley Council of Canada, will spur a resurgence of the crop. “Two years ago, our acreage dropped to an all-time low of less than six million acres from a high of 14 million acres 10 years ago,” said Brian Otto, chairman of the working group […] Read more
Revised SheepBytes live and ready for use
BIG DIFFERENCE Top producers have a cost of production of $65 per lamb but others have costs nearly two-thirds higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes The high cost of feed makes feeding decisions all the more difficult, which is why the Alberta Lamb Producers and Alberta Agriculture have launched a redeveloped program called SheepBytes. “What we’ve found with our cost-of-production data collection is that there are top-performing flocks where it’s costing roughly $65 to get a lamb to market, and […] Read moreNew Rangeland Research Institute game changer for province’s researchers
THING New institute supported by the Mattheis Research Ranch, a 12,300-acre ranch, which was donated to the University of Alberta in 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rangelands are key to sustaining biodiversity, and the need for relevant and timely research on these ecosystems has never been greater, according to the backers of newly created Rangeland Research Institute at the University of Alberta. The institute’s activities will be supported in large part by the Mattheis Research Ranch, north of Brooks. Ruth and […] Read moreBusinessman puts dollars behind concerns over land use
Applied research Agriculture the main focus for new institute at the University of Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Calgary businessman and outdoorsman David Bissett has seen a lot of changes in Alberta land use over the past 30 years. He’s concerned — in fact so concerned that he has donated $4.9 million to create a new research body called the Alberta Land Institute (ALI). The institute opened on Sept. 5 and is currently […] Read moreProfiting from good stewardship
honours Variable-rate fertilizing and composting has made this Swedish farm more profitable while earning it environmental honours
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farming sustainably can be good for the bank account, according to a Swedish couple who have been honoured for their environmental stewardship. “One of my goals in life is to implement changes as long as they are profitable,” Hakan Eriksson recently told a group of visiting international journalists. “Making a profit is not always about […] Read moreAlberta family sets world record with corn maze that’s also a QR code
FUNCTIONAL FOOD? You’ll need to get into a helicopter to check it out, but scan the Kraay’s corn maze and you’ll be linked to their website
Reading Time: 3 minutes When the Kraay family says, “Check out our website,” they mean business. The Lacombe farmers have just earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by constructing a corn maze that doubles as a QR code for their farm’s website. QR — short for quick response codes are used on a host of […] Read moreRaising trout leads Red Deer producers into water-quality business
WARNING SIGNS Surface algae, excessive weed growth, odour and cloudy water generally indicate something is wrong — and it’s often poor nutrient management
Reading Time: 2 minutes When Max Menard took an aquaculture course from Alberta Agriculture 13 years ago, the plan was to raise trout. But increasingly, Menard’s business is about water quality. “Having trout is a good barometer for how healthy the water is,” said Menard. “If the trout aren’t living in there and aren’t surviving, there are definitely improvements […] Read moreIn a dugout, oxygen and light are key
Reading Time: 2 minutes In real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. For dugout water quality, it’s all about aeration, aeration, aeration, says Brandon Leask, agricultural water engineer with Alberta Agriculture in Red Deer. Speaking to Clearwater County’s West County ag tour, Leask encouraged his audience to think of dugouts as independent ecosystems. “Any time you’re adding something […] Read more