Reading Time: 4 minutes Trying to ensure that your rural community survives is an actual skill. It takes work to prevent a great little town out in the sticks from turning into a ghost town. “It’s really about the people and how optimistic and enthusiastic they are and how well they work together,” said Dee Ann Benard, executive director […] Read more
Working together is the recipe for creating a great community
No ordinary herbicide — glyphosate keeps making headlines
The world’s most widely used herbicide will continue to be one of agriculture’s biggest newsmakers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Two things happened to glyphosate over the past 15 years — it got a lot more popular and a lot more unpopular at the same time. There’s no question that most farmers love it. Although the most recent estimates are a few years old, farm use of glyphosate soared in this century. A major European […] Read more
Herd numbers tell a tale of hard times and a slow recovery
After ‘an interesting 15 years,’ there are signs that things are finally getting back to normal, says analyst
Reading Time: 4 minutes When this paper came into existence, the province’s cattle herd was growing by leaps and bounds. But that wasn’t good news — it was because the discovery of a single cow with BSE in May 2003 had caused the border to slam shut, reducing the opportunities to market cattle. “Nationally, when we started out that […] Read more
As the gap widens, farmers urged to reach out to consumers
The ag sector is better at both documenting its stewardship and communicating — but more is needed
Reading Time: 6 minutes Ever noticed you don’t hear the phrase ‘rural-urban gap’ as much these days? A decade and a half ago, farmers and ranchers — realizing most Canadians were, at best, a couple of generations removed from farming — were reaching out to urbanites at events such as the Calgary Stampede or through programs such as Ag […] Read more
Finding a cause for lameness in sheep
Little research on sheep lameness has been done in Canada, but the incidence can be high
Reading Time: 2 minutes Not a lot of work had been done to figure out why sheep go lame, but some Alberta researchers are working to change this. “We would like to develop a strategy to diagnose lame sheep which can later be used to inform best management practices to treat these animals,” said Wiolene Montanari Nordi, at the […] Read more
Non-refundable checkoff defeated, cattle group moving on
ABP leaders say they wish more had cast ballots but the issue is now in the rear-view mirror
Reading Time: 3 minutes *[UPDATED: Dec. 20, 2018] He’s disappointed to have lost the vote and wishes more cattle producers had cast a ballot, but the chair of Alberta Beef Producers says it’s now time to “move forward.” There were 1,874 votes cast in a plebiscite to make the $2 provincial beef checkoff non-refundable — with 51.3 per cent […] Read more
Cereal seed royalty gets thumbs down at consultations
Government is asking farmers what they think about seed royalties — and the answer is ‘not much’
Reading Time: 4 minutes The idea of charging royalties on cereal seed didn’t go over well with many Alberta farmers who attended a federal government consultation on proposed royalties. “The overarching thing is that control would be imposed and that would be my concern,” Trochu farmer Kevin Niemi said in an interview. “A royalty is like a seed tax […] Read more
Alberta ranchers hit the big screen and steal the show
A McDonald’s commercial that ran in movie houses across the country is getting rave reviews
Reading Time: 5 minutes You’re in a movie theatre, popcorn in hand, and the lights dim. You’re expecting another car or soft drink commercial but suddenly, there’s a rancher on your screen. You may even know him. It’s Stephen Hughes, and he’s talking about transparency in a McDonald’s commercial about beef sustainability. “I learned how many people go to […] Read more
Alberta mare tops them all at the World Clydesdale Show
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s considered the equivalent of the Stanley Cup for Clydesdales — and one Alberta farm family has won the honour. Willow Way Farms grabbed the title of Supreme Champion when its mare, Puzzle, was awarded the prize at the World Clydesdale Show, in Madison, Wis. “It was something that a guy always thinks about — […] Read more
Crop missions a whole new ball game under Trump
New opportunities in China and Japan a result of U.S. president’s actions
Reading Time: 4 minutes ‘Thank you, Donald Trump.’ Members of the recent New Crop Mission to Asia didn’t say those exact words. But the fallout from the belligerent U.S. president’s trade war with China is definitely one of the pluses that members of the mission encountered. “The big difference this year is the trade environment,” Cereals Canada president Cam […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
