Reading Time: 3 minutes When it was wheat, Alberta led the fight to get rid of single-desk selling. But it’s a very different story when it comes to pork. Two-thirds of Alberta Pork producers voted in favour of investigating a single-desk marketing system similar to Quebec at their virtual annual general meeting held November 23. Thirty per cent voted […] Read more
Beleaguered pork producers consider move to single desk
After years of losses, many will abandon the sector if things don’t change, says Alberta Pork
Don’t put your networking on hold because you can’t meet in person
Making new contacts is as important as ever — here are four tips for networking virtually
Reading Time: 3 minutes You won’t be able to schmooze at events and conferences this winter, but it’s still important to network. However, it’s not easy, said Darlene McBain, who used to travel frequently in her job as manager of industry relations for Farm Credit Canada. Trying to build a network at her computer during the lockdown just felt […] Read more
Mead maker fermenting something new for hamlet of New Sarepta
Reading Time: 3 minutes New Sarepta was long past its heyday when Will Munsey arrived in the mid-2000s, but the hobby farmer turned mead maker is hoping to bring some new life to the sleepy hamlet. “New Sarepta was a really booming little community up until the 1950s, when better roads were built and people started getting individual automobiles […] Read more
Slimmed-down cattle organization looks forward to better days
During a dark year, there have been some silver linings, say officials with Alberta Beef Producers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Beef Producers is heading into the new year by celebrating some wins, and by proceeding with the slimming down of the organization’s governance model. The province has approved the governance changes, chair Kelly Smith-Fraser said at the organization’s virtual town hall, held at the end of November. “The geographical zones have been reduced from […] Read more
Coveralls and a tuxedo — symphony cellist has a second life on the farm
Reading Time: 4 minutes A lot of people who live on farms have off-farm jobs. But very few of those off-farm jobs involve wearing a tuxedo. However, cellist Victor Pipkin opted for his work coveralls and boots for a video of a solo mini-concert performed on his hobby farm near Onoway. Since the pandemic hit, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra […] Read more
Let’s get intense — cattle producer amps the density in his system
Ryan Boyd will put 400 yearlings on a quarter-acre as part of a system to boost forage productivity
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ryan Boyd has travelled the world to see how producers graze their cattle, and has figured out how to make his cattle work for him. Strip grazing, high stocking densities and a diverse range of plant species are at the core of the system developed by the Manitoba farmer, who as a 2019 Nuffield Scholar […] Read more
Improving soil is a long process involving lots of trial and error
Soil health principles are well known but putting them into practice takes time and patience
Reading Time: 4 minutes Everyone is in favour of improving soil health and there are a lot of recommended practices for doing that. But it’s when the rubber meets the road that things get complicated — and change takes time and patience. That was a major theme of Alberta producer Andy Kirschenman’s virtual presentation at the recent Farm Forum […] Read more
The big will just keep getting bigger, says new farmland study
About six per cent of Alberta’s farms manage about 40 per cent of its cropland
Reading Time: 3 minutes About six per cent of Alberta’s farms operate and control about 40 per cent of its farmland, according to a new paper published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “It’s not going to come as a surprise to anyone. We find that farms are continuing to get larger and larger. The number of small […] Read more
Rural shelters and crisis centres receiving more calls for help
Domestic abuse, addictions and mental health issues rising as pandemic drags on, say social service agencies
Reading Time: 3 minutes The pandemic is taking a toll in many ways, and that includes a rise in domestic violence in both rural and urban centres in Alberta, say social service agencies. “In the beginning of COVID-19, with the government telling everyone to stay home, and the fear of living with other families, we saw a drop in […] Read more
The cattle backlog is easing, but feedlots are still hurting
Feedlot owners losing $200 to $300 a head even though glut of market-ready cattle is smaller
Reading Time: 4 minutes While the backlog of cattle from packing plant closures and slowdowns last spring has dwindled, feedlot owners are still being hit hard. In the spring, there was a backlog of 130,000 cattle that needed to be processed. That number is now down to 30,000, thanks to no more further shutdowns at packing plants, which have […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
