Reading Time: 3 minutes Katelyn Duban started her podcast after looking for, but not finding, a farm-related podcast for millennial women that she might enjoy listening to. Today, that search is easier — there’s about 100 episodes of “The Rural Woman” podcast available for downloading. And people have found it, with more than 200,000 downloads by listeners in more […] Read more
Alberta farmer’s podcast on women in ag attracts a global audience
“It’s been crazy to think that in two years, it has reached so many people and so many countries. For some reason, I am quite popular in Zimbabwe.” – Katelyn Duban.
COAL MINING: Quiet policy change sparks a fast-spreading uproar
Ranchers and landowners unite and gird for battle after province opens the door to new mines
Reading Time: 7 minutes [UPDATED: April 20, 2021] The threat of open-pit mining in the Eastern Slopes has Laura Laing spending hours every day researching everything from coal exploration techniques to selenium contamination. It has Callum Sears frustrated and angry. And they are just two of a host of ranchers and landowners in the southern foothills — and beyond […] Read more
Nearly two decades on, BSE class-action lawsuit goes to trial
The trial is expected to last until late June and it may be next year before a verdict is handed down
Reading Time: 3 minutes A long-awaited class-action lawsuit which could award Canadian ranchers and dairy farmers reparations for damages caused from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is finally before the courts. The class-action lawsuit against the federal government, initially launched in 2005, centres around cattle imported from the U.K. and Ireland from 1982 to 1990, when Ottawa banned the importation […] Read more
Grasslands conservation effort gets $70-million boost
Major grasslands initiative to fund 800 stewardship projects across the Prairies
Reading Time: 4 minutes There have been a lot of grasslands conservation efforts, but none as large as the Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative. Five organizations are being given nearly $25 million by the Weston Family Foundation for what may be the largest grasslands conservation effort ever in Canada. And each of the five groups will be committing additional […] Read more
It’s a start but farm groups and governments eye bigger changes to AgriStability
Changes to the federal farm support program get generally favourable reviews, but calls for a better program aren’t going away
Reading Time: 5 minutes Better, but not great. And let’s come up with something that really works. Those two sentiments characterized most of the comments about the recently agreed-to change to AgriStability. And most producers would add ‘still really complicated’ as the decision by Ottawa and the provinces to scrap the ‘reference margin limit’ will impact individual farms in […] Read more
New research funding agency gets first elected board
Farmers make up the majority of the directors overseeing Results Driven Agriculture Research
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like other birthday celebrations this past year, there was not a party. But Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) marked one year of existence by announcing, on a Zoom meeting, the members of its first elected board. The new 10-person board overseeing the research funding organization (replacing one appointed by the province) was elected by its […] Read more
Cut costs and carry on: Ag societies caught in a web of uncertainty due to COVID
Most revenues come from events that aren’t taking place while the bills keep rolling in
Reading Time: 4 minutes When COVID-19 hit, Strathmore and District Ag Society went into total shutdown. “We were just kind of reeling at first. We laid off all the staff, cancelled events, cancelled Strathmore Stampede, cancelled cowboy concerts,” said Ryan Schmidt, the society’s general manager and CEO. “Everything looked kind of black and dark. You can’t see where to […] Read more
Up, up, up — farmland prices take another big jump
Strong canola and grain prices along with low interest rates fuel six per cent rise
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s another good news story — especially if you’re selling farmland. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, Alberta’s farm economy was robust enough to fuel a six per cent jump in land prices last year. That’s the highest price rise between Quebec and B.C., and above the national average, according to the latest land […] Read more
Cows love it but growing corn for silage or grazing can be tricky
Getting the crop off to a good start through seed selection and good seed placement is critical
Reading Time: 4 minutes Corn can be an attractive option for feeding cattle, but there are a lot of specifics to consider when you choose to grow it. “Corn just tastes good and cows love it. It’s more palatable than barley, and it has a better dry matter intake,” Greg Paranych, agriculture field specialist with the Grey Wooded Forage […] Read more
Be bold, go big, and sell more to China, urges ambassador
Leverage the Canada brand, target consumers directly, and get to know the many Chinas, says Dominic Barton
Reading Time: 4 minutes China’s pandemic buying spree has ag commodity prices soaring — but as canola growers (and others) know, Beijing can quickly turn hostile. But the ag sector here needs to be bold and aim to grow its ag and agri-food exports to China, says Canada’s ambassador to the country. “Even when things were really rough and […] Read more
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