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
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
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
Sustainable beef pilot moving up to the next level
With more than a thousand ranchers and feedlots on board, the challenge is making the operation itself sustainable
Reading Time: 3 minutes A shot of federal funding for Verified Beef Production Plus will help make the running of the sustainable beef program itself more sustainable — while improving it for participating producers. The $602,000 federal grant will help the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot take a step up and become an ongoing program, said Shannon Argent, business manager […] Read more
Rains bring some relief to hay markets, but not much
Rain and shortages make for an uneven hay market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent rains may result in hay prices softening a bit — but not by much, say experts “We have got rains and some of the pastures are rebounding,” said Ed Shaw, a hay exporter from Olds. “The yields are going to be lower than normal because it was a slow season and it got started […] Read more
Livestock sector suspicious of China ban but hopeful
Politics, not fraud, may be behind latest Chinese ban of our exports but officials hopeful it can be resolved
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some sort of fraud or more payback from China? That’s the question facing Canadian pork and beef producers after Beijing banned their products last month. As was the case with canola seed, the official Chinese explanation is that it halted imports because of contamination issues — “pests” in canola and the growth promotant ractopamine in […] Read more
China can’t ban hope — pork sector is eyeing a great year
The supply-and-demand calculus is clear: Demand is high, supply is low, and those selling pork will find buyers
Reading Time: 3 minutes International pork markets are in disarray, but the prospects are good for pork producers here — even after Beijing’s new ban on Canadian pork exports. China had been a hot market for Canadian pork this year, with its purchases jumping by more than half in the first four months and moving the nation ahead of […] Read more
The fake meat trend is just getting started, food exec says
Half of all meat eaters say they want to cut back and eat more plant-based foods
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not going to stop with the Beyond Meat burger. Expect to see more plant-based foods in your grocery store as more and more consumers reduce their consumption of meat, says the CEO of a leading organic and natural food company. “You can see tremendous acceleration in the refrigerated meat alternatives in Canada,” Beena Goldenberg […] Read more
Trade missions more valuable than ever, say Alberta producers
You have to show appreciation for customers and ask face to face how you can improve, says canola director
Reading Time: 3 minutes In times like these, friendship is more valuable than ever. “The mission was a direct result of the China (canola) ban,” said Alberta Canola director Andre Harpe, “When you lose part of your market, you have to make sure your other markets are OK.” Harpe was one of two Alberta producers who recently travelled to […] Read more
Reporter plays foodie and samples oat-based cheeses
“The more I work with Alberta crops, the more I get excited about them,” says local culinary arts instructor
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not every day that I go into a laboratory to try food. But today, I walk into a room with steel containers and refrigerators, where researchers are wearing lab coats. I’m about to taste some new oat ‘cheese,’ and I’m excited. Before I get to taste the oat cheese, research chef, Maynard Kolskog has […] Read more
Less rain equals more danger for cattle on your ranch
Reading Time: 3 minutes Polioencephalomalacia, fog fever, blue-green algae, and vitamin A deficiency. Those are just four potential health threats to cattle when conditions are extremely dry. “The biggest problem we have on the Prairies is water that is high in sulphates,” said Dr. John Campbell, professor in the department large animal clinical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. […] Read more