Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s crop insurer will pay out a record amount in claims — and that means the 20 per cent premium discount is being scrapped. Eleven months ago, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation announced it was not only cutting premiums by one-fifth, but would keep the discount for five years barring a “significant wreck.” But that’s exactly […] Read more
Premium discount for crop insurance being axed following record payout
After paying out $1.5 billion for crop losses last year, insurer says 20 per cent reduction won’t continue
Grass-fed beef: The premiums are there but so is the work
It takes longer to get paid, and marketing and delivery will be critical to your success
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s not for everyone, but raising grass-fed beef can bring returns that conventional cow-calf producers can only dream about. “Someone can make a living off 70 head of grass-fed beef easily — or even 50,” said Ben Campbell, who raises both grass-fed and conventional cattle near Black Diamond. “Where if you produce 50 calves a […] Read more
In very difficult times, individuals and governments stepped up
Hay West lifted people’s spirits and the fast rollout of emergency aid prevented a much bigger cull
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s no sugar-coating it — 2021 was a tough year. “The one thing you know when you’re an agricultural producer is the weather is the No. 1 thing,” said Bob Lowe, owner of Bear Trap Feeders in Nanton and president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re probably all familiar with droughts, it’s just the size […] Read more
Rover and Mittens like it, but people aren’t so keen on insect protein
Company targets pet food market for its Alberta-raised protein made from black soldier fly larvae
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pet food is a $30-billion-a-year market in North America, and B.C. company Enterra wants to conquer it with some Alberta-raised protein — only in this case, it’s the ground larvae of black soldier flies. The protein powder that the company makes at its facility at Balzac is palatable to pets, has good digestibility, and helps […] Read more
Dry times don’t dent a bumper crop of community goodwill
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even though it was a stressful year, that didn’t stop producers from across the province from stepping up once again for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. And some produced some surprising results. “We were very dry, but I guess we got the right rain at the right time, because the crop grew well and with record […] Read more
Putting the spotlight (and movies) on Nanton’s historic elevators
Reading Time: 4 minutes Over the past couple of years, a volunteer group in Nanton has been showcasing their heritage elevators in new and exciting ways. “Our goal has been to really revitalize the elevators,” said Leo Wieser, president of the board of the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Society. “We’re trying a new tactic — turning them into […] Read more
Are puppies, plants and backyard chickens still popular?
Nearly two years on, how are newbie pet owners, gardeners, and poultry enthusiasts making out?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Puppies, plants, and backyard chickens became hot trends when the pandemic took hold — but are they still popular almost two years in? Pandemic pets “At the beginning of the pandemic, we were swamped with people,” said Sharla Willis, who has operated a dog-breeding business for 16 years with her mother Dorrie Nelson. “We did […] Read more
Cattle producers have the beef but aren’t getting the bucks
Producers are used to the cattle cycle but this one is extreme — and extremely painful
Reading Time: 4 minutes Beef prices are sky high, but that money is not trickling down into the hands of cattle producers. “I’ve been getting lots of calls from producers on why there’s such a difference on the price at the packer level and at the retail level,” said Melanie Wowk, chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “Our prices at […] Read more
Fall didn’t deliver — now we need a very snowy winter
Hope for wet, but plan for dry, say experts as drought conditions remain widespread in province
Reading Time: 5 minutes Much of Alberta will need as much as three times the usual amount of snow this winter to get out of drought conditions before spring, says an AgCanada agro-climate specialist. “We’re looking at 250 per cent to 300 per cent of normal snow accumulation or large snow accumulation added to early rainfall,” said Trevor Hadwen. […] Read more
A tale of two trade agreements
The TPP deal soars, the EU deal stalls
Asian and Pacific nations are snapping up our beef while EU roadblocks persist
Reading Time: 5 minutes When it comes to Canada’s two big foreign trade deals, the difference for beef producers is night and day — one is putting money in their pockets and the other has mostly been an exercise in frustration. In just the first two years of the three-year-old Trans-Pacific trade deal, member nations upped their buys of […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
