Reading Time: 2 minutes If you raise pigs — whether in a commercial setting, on a natural or organic operation or in the backyard — get a Premises Identification. “During the outbreak, we used it for tracing, and we used it for notifying farms in the risk area,” said Dr. Julia Keenliside, veterinary epidemiologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. […] Read more
Everyone needs to be on traceability system
Even if you have just one pig, you should be registered with Premises Identification
Relentless PED virus could return to hog barns at any time
An outbreak appears to be contained but incredibly hardy PEDv could reappear at any moment
Reading Time: 5 minutes We’ve got all of Saskatchewan between us — but that’s not enough to shield Alberta from the threat of a deadly pig virus that has swept across Manitoba. The virus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is proving to be a challenge unlike any other — an incredibly hardy infectious agent able to travel […] Read more
The news is not good — but it will get better, say market analysts
Harvest is one of the worst times to look for good news in wheat markets, but prices should soon rally
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not hard to find bad news these days when it comes to wheat markets. Recent news stories include the USDA surprising analysts by raising its production forecast (by 59 million bushels), European wheat fields coming through a record-breaking heat wave in fine shape, and the threat from Black Sea producers continuing to rise. (For […] Read more
Producers can reduce carbon hoofprint while boosting profitability
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to raise more environmentally friendly cows, there are several things you can do, say experts. And make money from doing them. Over the last 30 years, the beef sector has improved efficiency by 15 per cent, but it can still do more to reduce methane emissions, said John Basarab, senior research scientist […] Read more
‘Gin is in’ — spirit’s sales soar here and abroad
Reading Time: 3 minutes Gin was all the rage in the Roaring ’20s — and it seems the cycle is repeating itself a century later. “Gin is in,” said Matthew Hendriks, distiller at Park Distillery in Banff. This simple message was put on a billboard between Calgary and Banff, and in front of the distillery itself, which opened in […] Read more
UN report on livestock and climate change gets lost in translation
Panel of climate change experts say meat production must be sustainable — but few noted that distinction
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Eat less meat” was the phrase of choice for describing a new report from the United Nations’ climate change panel. Those three words appeared in headlines in publications such as Time magazine, the National Post, and the Times of London. But the report itself said something different, said the science director of the Beef Cattle […] Read more
Hands-on plant breeding: Farmers help select new plant lines
Since 2011, organic farmers from across Canada have been making their own breeding selections
Reading Time: 4 minutes You might call it DIY cereal breeding. Since 2011, plant-breeding researchers have collaborated with organic farmers in a breeding program in which the producers select lines from trials on their own farms. Normally, a breeder goes through a plot, and selects the best spikes, heads or plants according to their breeding goals. “The participatory plant-breeding […] Read more
From farm to fridge? Making cling wrap from canola straw
University of Alberta researchers have found a way to make a food wrap that’s biodegradable
Reading Time: 3 minutes As people try to reduce their use of plastic products, there is a need for items created from environmentally friendly products. Researchers at the University of Alberta may have come up with part of the solution — cling wrap made from canola straw. The product is the only one of its kind in the world, […] Read more
Film about farming women shows how times have changed — and how old stereotypes still linger
Documentary shows how women aren't just ‘farmers’ wives and farmers’ daughters’ anymore
Reading Time: 5 minutes When you picture a farmer in your head, who do you think of? A man wearing a ball cap? Or do you picture a woman? In a new 20-minute documentary, filmmaker Kelsey van Moorsel asks you to “Picture a Farmer.” And the three farmers featured in the first-time filmmaker’s documentary are all women. “I come […] Read more
Wild pigs a growing problem not many seem to care about
Alberta is the only province with a control strategy — but it’s still in the pilot program phase
Reading Time: 4 minutes Since their numbers are unknown and the wily animals are rarely spotted, it’s been easy to ignore the problem of wild pigs. But given their potential to spread disease, that’s a mistake, says the country’s leading — and pretty much only — expert on wild boars. The animals — whose population has mushroomed in the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
