Reading Time: 3 minutes They’re in your field, lurking there, doing their thing. But do you know who they are? Can you identify your beneficial insects? That’s the goal behind the Western Grains Research Foundation’s Field Heroes campaign. “It’s basically a social media campaign to increase the profile of the beneficial insects that are in your field crops,” said […] Read more
They don’t wear capes, but beneficial bugs are superheroes
New campaign urges farmers to give a little more love to the good bugs that kill bad ones
Threshing losses could be costing you tens of thousands this harvest
Canola losses when combining are typically double — and sometimes five times — what they should be
Reading Time: 4 minutes How many tens — or hundreds — of millions of dollars might pour out of the backs of Prairie combines this harvest? No one can say for sure, but Vegreville producer Darcy Sarafinchan knows that if he’s not checking for issues when combining canola, the number can get big in a hurry. “When you start […] Read more
New farm growing more than food
A farm provides a perfect working environment for adults with autism, who often struggle to find jobs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Triple S Ranch and Market Gardens is a farm with a different focus: Providing jobs to people with autism. “We launched a non-profit social enterprise May 1 and since then we’ve been working at the farm growing organics,” said Karen-Ann Moore, who owns the 40-acre Winfield-area farm with her husband. She currently has four autistic […] Read more
This year’s back-up plan could work out nicely
Wheat acres in Alberta jumped this year but the move appears to be well timed
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the shine off pulses and disease issues constraining canola acres, wheat has become the go-to alternative for Alberta farmers this year. StatsCan estimates 6.27 million acres of spring wheat were planted in the province this year — 405,000 more acres than last year and the most since 2013. Add in durum and winter wheat, […] Read more
Farm groups blast grain commission for refusing to give back surplus
Federal grain agency plans to spend $90 million on more services, but farm leaders want fees reduced
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s wheat and barley commissions and the Grain Growers of Canada are unhappy that the Canadian Grain Commission won’t be giving back $90 million in surplus service fees it collected from Prairie farmers. “Over the past five to six years, the Canadian Grain Commission has built up a surplus of funds based on user fees […] Read more
The market is shaky but there’s still a lot of pulse acres out there
India’s absence has pushed down acres, but Alberta is still growing one of its largest-ever crops
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pea and lentil prices have crashed, but Alberta farmers are still growing a lot of pulses. “Everything that happened in India caused a shock, not only to Canada, but globally,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse Growers. The peak year for pulse production in Alberta was two years ago, and acreage has dropped […] Read more
Even in Feedlot Alley, consumers don’t trust hormone use
The beef sector has long said hormone implants are safe, but most Lethbridge residents aren’t convinced
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a pretty disheartening finding: Nearly two-thirds of residents of Lethbridge — located in Feedlot Alley — oppose the use of growth hormones in cattle, according to a recent survey. “I would suspect that a lot of people don’t understand,” said Roland Cailliau, a cow-calf producer from Valleyview. “They don’t read and they don’t understand […] Read more
Couple weren’t millionaires — so they found a different way to farm
It’s not for everyone, says Ben Campbell, but direct marketing is a low-cost route to farming
Reading Time: 3 minutes Although Ben Campbell is a third-generation rancher, he didn’t have an operation he could take over. And when he looked at the math for starting his own ranch, it was worse than ugly — he figured he’d need $3 million in assets to generate an income of $50,000. “I didn’t have enough money to do […] Read more
Way up north, there’s an unusual sight — soybeans
Peace Country growers are testing new early-maturing varieties of a crop associated with the American Midwest
Reading Time: 3 minutes La Crete is nearly 3,000 kilometres north of the continent’s soybean heartland, but that hasn’t stopped some farmers in the area from giving the crop a whirl. “Our most farthest north-grown soybeans… looking great in La Crete,” Canterra Seeds rep Jesse Meyer tweeted earlier this month when posting a picture of soybeans growing in the […] Read more
McDonald’s move to label its burgers as sustainable hailed as a milestone
Initiative is a global first and opens the door for more cattle producers to be paid for their stewardship
Reading Time: 2 minutes McDonald’s Canada will soon be serving burgers made from certified sustainable beef — and that’s a major win for the country’s cattle sector, say farm leaders. “The big thing about this is the world is going in this direction because of consumer demand,” said Bob Lowe, vice-chair of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and a member […] Read more
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