Reading Time: 4 minutes Craig Lehr has been able to source the forage and feed he needs this year for Short Grass Ranches, a backgrounding feedlot he co-owns near Medicine Hat. Still, finding feed and forage for the 7,000-head feedlot, plus its 1,100-head cattle herd, was not an easy task. “The ground situation is still pretty bleak,” said Lehr, […] Read more
Feed situation is much improved this year but far from perfect
The supply levels are good but feed isn’t cheap, and most pastures need some serious moisture
Christmas came in June this year on most farms
On most farms, taps were only turned on for a short while — but the timing was perfect
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you were to tell the story of the 2022 growing season in Alberta, it would be impossible not to mention that rainfall. “The story of the year is June rainfall,” said Stuart Chutter, senior analyst with the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation. [RELATED] Rain sprouts hope among southern Alberta farmers The growing season started out […] Read more
The quest for drought-tolerant wheat heats up
A hotter, drier future looms but breeding for drought tolerance is a complicated business
Reading Time: 5 minutes The push to breed drought-resistant wheat has taken on new urgency as dry times become more common and more severe. “Drought is big on everybody’s minds these days,” said Harpinder Randhawa, a wheat breeder with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research centre. “Especially in Western Canada, we rely heavily on the natural water availability of […] Read more
Small islands could deliver a big payoff in feedlot holding ponds
Native, riparian plants can filter out organic matter, nutrients and heavy metals
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta researchers are using the power of native plants to turn manure-fouled water into something so clean it could perhaps be used to water crops or livestock. “We’re using plants to clean water of contaminants. In this case, we’re using them to clean contaminants that exist in feedlot holding ponds,” said principal investigator Daniel Karran, […] Read more
Rollercoaster doesn’t begin to describe today’s markets
Don’t expect a return to normal anytime soon, says panel of market watchers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Supply-chain lions and interest-rate tigers and market bears, oh my! That could have been the theme for a recent webinar featuring a host of market analysts, all of whom highlighted just what a volatile time this is. “You have to figure out what is going on in this world, because so much of what is […] Read more
BROKEN PROMISES: It’s been five years of frustration with EU trade deal
The high hopes sparked by the deal are in tatters as Europe keeps doors largely closed to Canadian beef
Reading Time: 5 minutes Dan Darling remembers the tough slog of negotiations in free-trade talks with Europe — and the hope that they would end with major gains for Canadian beef. But five years after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with Europe, talks continue and potential benefits remain unrealized. “When we were negotiating the deal, […] Read more
New digs offer a big boost to ag research in Peace Country
Sarda has had to make do for years, but a new $1-million facility will change that
Reading Time: 3 minutes The shop is in a building built seven decades ago and shows its age. It’s a hike from there to the rented office space in the local municipal district building, which is full at the best of times and overflowing when farmers or summer students show up. Most importantly, worn-out facilities and rented land are […] Read more
Long-haul transport rules not supported by science, says cattle sector
Three studies looked for benefits of rest stops on cattle but found none
Reading Time: 4 minutes It turns out that giving cattle a rest break during long haul transport seems to make no difference to their health or welfare. That was the bottom line from a third study that explored a controversial change made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency three years ago. “That’s where we’re at,” said Reynold Bergen, science […] Read more
Federal climate cash gets a welcome from producers here
Many farmers had rotational grazing, cover crops or nitrogen management on their to-do list
Reading Time: 3 minutes Federal climate cash is flowing out the door and being put to work on rotational grazing, cover cropping or nitrogen management projects on Alberta farms. “We’ve been out on a couple of farms to see projects and talk to people,” said Fiona Briody, program manager for RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research). “There are just really […] Read more
Regenerative agriculture is all the rage, but what is it exactly?
There’s no simple answer, but experts say soil health is at the heart of this approach
Reading Time: 4 minutes It seems as though everyone is talking about regenerative agriculture these days. But nailing down exactly what it is can be a challenge. “I completely agree that there are a lot of issues with being able to define what regenerative agriculture is,” said Kris Nichols, a Calgary soil microbiologist and well-known expert on soil health. […] Read more
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