Reading Time: 3 minutes Protein Industries Canada has a plan to kickstart the growth of the plant-based protein sector in Western Canada over the next four years, says its CEO. “From a processing perspective, this is a growing industry in Canada — we’ve got 7,000 food processors,” Bill Greuel told attendees at the recent Bridge2Food Plant-Based Food Summit. But […] Read more
Protein supercluster aims to transform food processing in Western Canada
The region can be a world powerhouse in value-added processing, says head of Protein Industries Canada
Despite current dip, cattle feeders optimistic about what lies ahead
With lots of cattle on increasingly pricey feed, margins are taking a hit, but optimism remains strong
Reading Time: 4 minutes The feedlot industry is experiencing a little dip right now, but the sector continues to chug along nicely. That’s why Doug Price opted to buy Western Feedlots at High River, which has been shuttered since 2016. “It was a fairly good-sized feedlot and we’re just tearing most of it down except the bunks and re-doing […] Read more
Impact of smoke on crops is more than a little hazy
Field crops are impacted but the science is scarce and the subject is very complex, say experts
Reading Time: 3 minutes After watching smoke choke the skies over their fields for three years running, producers in Alberta are increasingly asking what effect it’s all having on their crops. But unfortunately, little research has been done on the phenomenon. “It is so plant and environment specific,” said Jeremy Boychyn, research extension agronomist with Alberta Barley and Alberta […] Read more
Extension agronomist aims to bridge gap between research and producers
The two crop commissions want their investment in research to be put to use on Alberta farms
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s wheat and barley commissions are determined to get their research into the hands of producers. They’ve hired a research extension agronomist to make sure that happens. “I don’t know if there’s anyone who has a similar role to me at this point,” said Jeremy Boychyn, who started his new job in October. The two […] Read more
Double whammy: Second dry year hits forages hard
With pastures suffering and hay supplies tight and expensive, fallback strategies are needed
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s already a tough situation for forages, and fears are mounting that it will get worse. “We went into the winter in very dry conditions. We have had some rains as of late, but with perennial forage crops, their production is pre-set from the year before,” said Ed Shaw, president and chief executive officer of […] Read more
SIDE-SWIPED: The stars are not lining up for Alberta farmers
A series of unforeseeable events has suddenly set the stage for a return to the bad old days of the 1980s
Reading Time: 5 minutes A pig disease that’s been around for a century. A new ‘tech cold war’ between Beijing and Washington. A mercurial American president who calls himself “the tariff man.” These are the unlikely set of factors that are threatening to pummel grain markets — and the incomes of Alberta’s grain producers. “I am not looking at […] Read more
Stability of Steady Eddie cattle market is the envy of other sectors
Calf prices a bit higher, exports edging up, and despite a smaller herd, processing is doing well
Reading Time: 3 minutes There have been a few small hiccups but unlike much of the ag sector, the cattle market has been blissfully uneventful in recent months. “Calf prices are generally higher than a year ago. We’re seeing our calf and feeder prices 15 to 20 cents higher than a year ago, which is pretty positive,” said Brian […] Read more
Dealing with the canola crisis on your farm
Controlling costs, marketing plans, and finances should all be on your radar
Reading Time: 5 minutes No one can predict what China will do next when it comes to Canadian canola. There are certain things that you can do on your farm, but producers face some tough decisions when it comes to deciding what to spend on inputs, when to pull the trigger on sales, and whether to take a large […] Read more
Millennial couple takes outdoor hog farming to the next level
Reading Time: 5 minutes When Chris Fasoli exited his office job in 2015, he knew he wanted to do something different. After some soul-searching, he and wife Jessica decided they wanted to farm. The Fasoli family operation, run by Chris’s brother, had some grazing land available after selling off its cattle a couple of years earlier. But the couple […] Read more
The number of horses infected with West Nile jumps in Alberta
The number of cases nationally more than doubled last year, with more than half in Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes West Nile virus is becoming a more serious issue in horses — rates are rising in Alberta and a third of the horses which become infected will die. But there is a way to protect your horses, said veterinarian Melissa Smith of West Wind Veterinary Hospital in Sherwood Park. “There are vaccines available for West […] Read more
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