Reading Time: 2 minutes There are a lot of products that growers can put on their crops, but do they really work? That can be a difficult question at the best of times but it’s especially challenging in the rapidly expanding but little understood world of biostimulants. The term has been around for many years but the closest thing […] Read more
Alberta researchers delve into mysterious world of biostimulants
Three-year study aims to see if these products work on wheat, peas, and canola under Alberta conditions
Pandemic poultry: Interest in backyard chickens is soaring
Alberta Farm Animal Care’s virtual backyard chicken courses attracting a flock of attendees
Reading Time: 3 minutes Like yoga pants, Netflix, sourdough bread and puppies, backyard chickens have seen a surge in demand during the pandemic. Alberta Farm Animal Care has been putting on workshops for several years to ensure new chicken owners put their birds’ welfare at the top of their list. It had more planned for this year. “And then […] Read more
A whopper of a different sort?
Burger King unveils splashy new campaign built around lemongrass, and not much science, says expert
Reading Time: 2 minutes The yodelling young cowboy is pretty good, but don’t take it for gospel when Burger King’s newest pitchman warbles that “the scientists have proven that it works.” The American burger chain recently launched (in a few U.S. cities) the Reduced Methane Emissions Beef Whopper. Burger King says it “teamed up” with “top-level” scientists from the […] Read more
Wheat could be a pleasant surprise on the upside this winter
A lot of grain has moved during the pandemic, analysts are hoping for some ‘fireworks’ in the market
Reading Time: 4 minutes The market for Canada’s wheat shows promise, even if no one can say that it’s going to be a clear winner. “It’s not like we’re going to see the doubling of prices,” said Brennan Turner, chief executive officer of FarmLead. “There are a number of variables that are likely to push wheat prices higher than […] Read more
Retail proves a lifeline for Alberta cheese-making family
The pandemic has been a boon for local food — something they know well at Crystal Springs Cheese
Reading Time: 3 minutes Retail wasn’t in the plans when Evert and Jannie Beyer went into the cheese-making business. But when the pandemic struck, it proved to be a lifeline. The couple emigrated from the Netherlands in 1994 and began milking cows in 2000. They took over Crystal Springs Cheese in 2005, moving the business from Bluffton to a […] Read more
The FHB buck now stops with farmers in Alberta
The zero-tolerance approach didn’t stop the spread of fusarium in the province
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Alberta government has given up trying to battle fusarium head blight through regulation — but the move means farmers will need to up their game to control the hugely costly cereal disease. The province removed fusarium graminearum from the Pest Control Nuisance Regulation of the Agricultural Pests Act last month, bringing Alberta in line […] Read more
Open Farm Days ready to rise to the challenge
Things will be much different this year but organizers are confident the event will be successful
Reading Time: 3 minutes As they say, ‘The show must go on.’ And that’s how the organizers of Alberta Open Farm Days feel. “As we got into Stage 2 (of pandemic reopening), we looked at the regulations to see whether it could go ahead. This wasn’t something we took lightly,” said Nicola Doherty, marketing co-ordinator with Alberta Open Farm […] Read more
Alberta company hoping to drive a lab-grown meat sector
Meat ‘cultured’ in a lab is hugely expensive, but an Edmonton company working to change that
Reading Time: 3 minutes You’ve been hearing about lab-grown meat for years, but an Edmonton-based company is one step closer to making cultivated meat a reality. Future Fields has been working to create food products grown from cells for three years. “Most people know this industry as lab-grown meat, but it’s now known as cellular agriculture or cultivated products,” […] Read more
Supply management lives up to its name during pandemic
Chicken and egg sectors had to make quick adjustments as retail sales soared and restaurants shuttered
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been a roller-coaster, but supply-managed commodities have been able to quickly adjust to huge swings in demand caused by the pandemic. “The chicken industry has been very quick to respond to the shifts in the market from COVID-19,” said Karen Kirkwood, executive director of Alberta Chicken Producers. “We’re able to make sure there’s the […] Read more
Packing plants back on track, but future uncertain
With a huge backlog of animals to work through, cattle groups are fearful of what comes next
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s beef-packing plants are working at or near full capacity but the crisis is not over yet, say cattle leaders. “Our processing capacity has continued to increase over the past few weeks and cattle prices have been relatively strong, but markets are still vulnerable to a disruption in the processing plants,” Alberta Beef Producers chair […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
