Reading Time: 4 minutes Four years after McDonald’s chose Canada to launch its landmark sustainable beef initiative, some producers and feedlots are happily cashing cheques for participating in that effort. And while the amounts so far have been fairly small, it’s a big plus for producers, say participants. “We started on that journey because we thought it was important […] Read more
Producers can now take beef sustainability to the bank
Raising ‘certified sustainable’ beef earns producers a premium and McDonald’s is going all in
Local food is putting down deep roots
One in 20 Alberta farms are selling directly to their customers, and there’s room for plenty more
Reading Time: 4 minutes The year Mark Gibeau started growing heritage grains, a book called The 100-Mile Diet had just come out. Suddenly it seemed everyone was using terms such as ‘local food’ and ‘locavore.’ It was good timing on Gibeau’s part, but would time be his friend? Would local food be one of those ‘here today gone tomorrow’ […] Read more
Deadly pest marching towards Alberta’s borders
The emerald ash borer has travelled halfway across the continent and has now reached Manitoba
Reading Time: 3 minutes Another highly destructive invasive pest has breached the boundary of the eastern Prairies and Albertans are being asked to keep watch — and not unwittingly aid its spread. The emerald ash borer, which attacks and kills all species of ash, was found in Winnipeg this winter. The beetle is on a steady invasive march across […] Read more
Horses should be classed as livestock, argues industry group
Horse industry should receive the same benefits as other livestock sectors, says Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Horses and other equines should be formally classed as livestock, says an advocacy group. “We have situations in various parts of Canada where provincial governments, in British Columbia in particular, are denying farmer status to people who are in the business of breeding equines including mules, donkeys, and horses,” said Bill desBarres, chair of the […] Read more
Research funding agency run by farmers closes its doors
Board votes to shut down Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund after funding dries up
Reading Time: 2 minutes After 17 years in operation, the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF) has shuttered its doors. “Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is changing the way it handles research and development,” said Doug Walkley, the organization’s former executive director. For the past three years, the ministry has been conducting a review of how it funds ag research […] Read more
Get Cracking: It’s boom time for egg farmers
All-day breakfast has the egg sector scrambling to keep up with demand
Reading Time: 3 minutes The latest hot trend in fast food is boosting the fortunes of egg farmers in Alberta and across the country. “Egg sales have gone up all across Canada because of the all-day breakfast,” said Egg Farmers of Alberta chair Beatrice Visser. “We have increased the consumption.” That’s putting it mildly. Egg sales have been rising […] Read more
Japan still trusts Canadian wheat system, say officials
Country is a top wheat customer and will continue to be despite GM wheat incident, they say
Reading Time: 5 minutes Relationships still matter when it comes to trade, and Alberta officials say those will be key in re-establishing wheat sales with one of the country’s biggest buyers. No sooner had news broken that a small number of genetically modified wheat plants had been found in Alberta than industry reps were arranging to meet with officials […] Read more
Farming every acre doesn’t pay when the wind is howling
Producers are being urged to ‘rethink’ shelterbelts and how they preserve moisture and protect soil
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers are being urged to “rethink” shelterbelts — and soil conservation experts agree. Zero till hasn’t made shelterbelts obsolete and this year’s dry conditions have shown the value of having something to disrupt the flow of hot winds blowing over fields, said Toso Bozic, Alberta Agriculture’s agro-forestry specialist. “Planting new windbreaks needs to be […] Read more
Growing projects putting down roots around elevators
Reading Time: 2 minutes Volunteers at a trio of Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing projects in Alberta won’t have to go far to deliver their harvests this fall. Viterra is providing 400 acres around three of its Alberta grain terminals (and another three in Saskatchewan) for growing projects this year. “We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Viterra,” said John Longhurst, […] Read more
Alberta Milk offers program to entice new organic producers
There are just six organic milk producers in the province but a new program aims to up that by a third
Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: July 23, 2018] Growing demand for organic milk not only has the provincial dairy association seeking more production but also more producers — just to make sure it never runs short. “We need more organic and we need to make sure that we don’t only have a few farms taking some of the supply […] Read more
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