Reading Time: 4 minutes More needs to be done to tap into the huge and growing market for halal meat, say experts. “It’s a market that people seem to be a little afraid of or haven’t quite understood,” said Grant Winton, a manager with the International Relations and Marketing Section of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. The word ‘halal’ simply […] Read more
Halal beef a huge opportunity for Alberta, say market experts
The market for beef and food products produced in compliance with Islamic law is big and getting bigger
Peas are a bit of bright spot in a gloomy year for pulses
Market watchers say peas have some support but India’s tariffs will weigh heavily for quite a while
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a bad pun, but there is a bit of a case to ‘give peas a chance’ this year. “Peas are looking better than lentils. If I had to bet on one versus the other, I would probably favour peas,” said Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research. “The reason for that is we hear all […] Read more
Orphan wells a growing problem for Alberta farmers
There are thousands of abandoned wells, which not only means lost rents but weed issues and contamination risks
Reading Time: 4 minutes Landowners and farmers could be left holding the bill following the bankruptcy of yet another Alberta energy company. Calgary-based natural gas producer Sequoia Resources Corp. ceased operations last month, abandoning a number of aging oil and gas wells that need to be sealed and cleaned up. “With Sequoia, there are 3,000 wells — 700 abandoned […] Read more
Interest in soil health is growing, but testing still lags
It’s only a minority of producers who are soil sampling and that mystifies a provincial crop specialist
Reading Time: < 1 minute Some producers may be looking at soil health a little differently, but there are still not a lot of them taking soil samples, says a provincial crop specialist. “Soil sampling gives you an evaluation of the nutrient levels in your soil,” said Mark Cutts of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Stettler office. “If you know that […] Read more
Fields with wireworms needed for 2018 research
The beetle larvae can live in the soil for up to five years, and there are no insecticides available to control
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wireworms are a big problem in Alberta fields, and an entomologist is seeking help from farmers to find ways to control them. “We have a lot to learn about wireworms,” said Haley Catton who works at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research station. “We need to do a lot more research to figure out how […] Read more
Don’t risk a wreck in your cow’s reproduction this spring
Breeding timing makes a difference in open rates and so do vaccinations and copper deficiency
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to make sure that you get calves on the ground, pay attention to body score, when you calve, and vaccinations. That was the message from Cheryl Waldner, a professor in large-animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. “You need to get the cattle cycling […] Read more
Seven years on, mentorship program has made its mark
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ricki Fleming was one of the first mentees when the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program began seven years ago. There were just five participants and while everyone liked the idea of pairing young producers with industry leaders, it was all a bit of an experiment. “When we first started it as a pilot, nobody knew how […] Read more
Predator compensation benefits all of society
Ranchers are key to maintaining wildlife habitat but pay a price because of predator losses, which are on the rise
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ranchers play a key role in conservation by keeping their lands available to wildlife, and it’s important that they be compensated for those losses, says a new study “Our paper makes a case that there are benefits… if those ranchers who have depredation programs see some compensation for wildlife to be on their private lands,” […] Read more
Don’t let your guard down — fusarium still a risk
Dry weather greatly reduced the incidence of the fungal disease last year, but the threat is likely greater than ever
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers should be on the lookout for fusarium head blight this year, even though the incidence of the fungal disease was down in 2017. “Forecasting head blight is really quite challenging,” said Mike Harding, a research scientist and plant pathologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Read more: Provincial legislation isn’t helping fusarium battle, say seed growers […] Read more
Provincial legislation isn’t helping fusarium battle, say seed growers
Grower groups argue a zero-tolerance approach is the wrong way to reduce its spread in Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fusarium graminearum is listed as a pest in the province, and that’s causing trouble for the crop industry. “Now that it’s in the pest act, it’s hard to get it out of the pest act,” said Ward Oatway, chair of the Alberta Seed Growers Association and owner of Oatway Seeds in Lacombe. His association, the […] Read more
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