Reading Time: 2 minutes The feds are putting up $33 million to encourage Alberta farmers to adopt three practices that can lower greenhouse gas emissions: rotational grazing, 4R fertilizer practices, and cover cropping. Alberta’s share of the $183-million On-Farm Climate Action Fund program is being administered by Results Driven Agriculture Research, the provincial research funding agency. Although details are […] Read more
Cover cropping program looks to encourage innovation
The program is quite flexible, says head of the provincial agency administering funding
This hidden crop menace is stealthy, destructive and a devil to get rid of
There’s a wide variety of wireworms, their impact varies greatly, and there’s no effective control
Reading Time: 4 minutes Joe Ripley knew something was up in his wheat field — but he had no idea what. “We just had patches where it was very poor quality and there was hardly anything there,” said the grain and cattle producer from the Spring Coulee area in southern Alberta. “We didn’t realize what it was for a […] Read more
Bowden pulse-processing plant aims to be on the cutting edge
Among its goals is to get rid of the aftertaste of pulses and find ways to up protein levels
Reading Time: 2 minutes A consortium of companies behind the province’s first major pulse fractionation plant are vowing to “take plant-based protein extraction to the next level” at the new facility being built in Bowden. And part of that is making pulse ingredients that don’t taste like pulses. “Our emphasis is on processing functionality,” said Kevin McGeough, CEO of […] Read more
Premiums soar after crop insurer hit by $2.7-billion loss
Higher crop prices are driving a big part of the 37 per cent (or higher) hike, but drought hit hard, too
Reading Time: 4 minutes The cost of annual crop insurance is soaring by an average of more than 37 per cent this year — and many farmers could be facing an even higher bill. “An average 1,500-acre Alberta farm growing a mixture of crops will see increased premium costs of approximately 54 per cent for annual insurance and hail […] Read more
Water quality can make a difference on herbicide efficacy
Glyphosate in particular is prone to being tied up by hard water, which may be more common this year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Water quality can change after a drought — and that can affect the efficacy of your herbicides. “It’s well known that there are certain things in water — chemicals, salts, metal cations — that can antagonize the spray,” said well-known spray expert Tom Wolf. “With much lower water levels, it’s conceivable that those antagonists will […] Read more
Volunteers rally to the cause during pandemic pause
Reading Time: 3 minutes Refocus. Rebuild. Strengthen partnerships. That was the mantra of the Vermilion Agricultural Society as it navigated the pandemic. The first year, the society hosted a fireworks display, there were a few equine clinics and a whole bunch of quiet times. Faced with the same prospect in 2021, the society decided it was a good time […] Read more
You don’t want to hear this — but delay grazing, say experts
Even good moisture this spring won’t easily overcome the effects of drought
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’re a cattle producer, you may be counting down the days until you can turn your cows out on grass. But three experts are telling you the best thing you can do is wait. “Watch what the plants tell you,” said Grant Lastiwka, a forage specialist with Union Forages. “A perennial pasture has a […] Read more
An open road ahead? Feds offer cash for fertilizer stewardship
Farmers could get up to $75,000 to move to rotational grazing, cover cropping or 4R stewardship
Reading Time: 5 minutes Upping your management game just got a lot more attractive. Producers willing to adopt rotational grazing, 4R fertilizer stewardship or cover crops will be able to get as much as $75,000 per farm from Ottawa’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund. [Read more] Feds seek ideas and feedback on reducing fertilizer emissions “The objective of the program […] Read more
The threat from above: Alberta’s chief vet issues bird flu warning
A virulent strain of avian influenza is spreading west and backyard flocks are vulnerable
Reading Time: 4 minutes The spring return of migratory birds could bring an unwanted and dangerous guest to poultry flocks here — highly pathogenic avian influenza, says Alberta’s chief provincial veterinarian. “The big thing is to be aware that there is some risk this year,” said Keith Lehman, who issued a warning to backyard poultry owners earlier this month. […] Read more
BSE lawsuit dismissed — but long-running legal battle not over
Judge agrees Ottawa failed to take steps to keep BSE out of Canada, but says that’s not negligence
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Ontario Supreme Court judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit that alleged the federal government was negligent nearly two decades ago when it didn’t take measures that could have prevented the BSE crisis. But the case, launched in 2005, isn’t over yet. Lawyers for the plaintiff, an Alberta ranch, have already launched an appeal. The […] Read more