Reading Time: 3 minutes Want to get more customers in the door? Get rid of potholes in the parking lot and put an inverted V-shaped canopy over the entrance. Want to boost sales? Put fewer items on the shelf and lower the height of display benches. That was some of the advice offered to Alberta garden centre owners by […] Read more
The ‘eyes’ have it — the key to better sales, that is
High-tech eye tracking technology literally gives insights into the buying decisions of consumers
Mycotoxins — the invisible danger for livestock
Ruminant nutritionist offers tips to ensure feed doesn’t pose a health hazard to your cattle
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mould and mycotoxins can be tricky, but there are a few tips that can help prevent them from hurting your cattle. That was the message that Amanda Van De Kerckhove, ruminant nutritionist with Co-op Feeds, brought to Northlands’ first BeefTech event. “It can be a little overwhelming when you look at all the factors that […] Read more
Persistence pays off in quest to make gin from fabas
Using the beans produced decidedly unappetizing results but fababean flowers yielded a hit for Nisku distillery
Reading Time: 2 minutes Out of failure, you can create something pretty tasty. That’s what the staff at Rig Hand Distillery near Nisku learned when they teamed up with Alberta Pulse Growers to create a fababean-based gin. “We were approached about a year ago by the Alberta Pulse Growers Association,” said Geoff Stewart, owner, president, and distiller with Rig […] Read more
How’s your relationship with your vet?
Antimicrobials will soon require a prescription, but a vet can’t write one if he or she hasn’t worked closely with a producer
Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to antimicrobials, one shoe has dropped and the other soon will. And that means livestock producers who don’t have a working relationship with a vet better start developing one. As of last month, producers can no longer import antimicrobials for use on their ranches and farms, and growth promotion claims have been […] Read more
Youth summit gives young Albertans a global view of agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes After attending a global summit for young ag leaders, Cameron Olson is even more excited about agriculture and its possibilities. Talking to some of the other 100 youth delegates from 49 countries at the four-day Youth Ag-Summit in Belgium last month was an eye-opening and energizing experience, said the 24-year-old from Rocky View. “There were […] Read more
A cranberry harvest is unlike any other
Farming cranberries is big business in Quebec, but it’s unlike anything you see on the Prairies
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re ever looking for a completely different harvest experience, Quebec is the place to go. Cranberries are a big deal in La belle province and getting a close-up look at the harvest was a highlight for a group of ag journalists during a recent Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation tour. Yes, a tractor is involved […] Read more
No kidding around – goat expert offers breeding advice
Have some very good fencing, a pregnant-looking animal often isn’t, and have a chat with your vet
Reading Time: 3 minutes Everyone wants their goats to kid, but there are a few things they can do to ensure that breeding is done well, says a leading North American goat expert. “A female goat likes a choice,” Mary Smith said at the recent Alberta Goat Breeders Association conference. “Does do have preferences in which bucks they will […] Read more
Long-running cattle checkoff battle may be coming to an end
An agreement on an industry development fund is key to a tentative deal between Alberta Beef Producers and cattle feeders
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not finalized yet, but the organizations representing cattle producers and feeders say they’re close to creating a fund to advance the province’s beef sector — and ending a nearly decade-long checkoff. “The Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund is a concept that would be able to be implemented with a non-refundable service charge,” said Rich […] Read more
Dishing the dirt on soil health a big draw
It will be a packed conference hall when soil health experts gather in Edmonton in December
Reading Time: 3 minutes Soil health continues to be a hot draw — at least for a portion of Alberta’s farm community. This year’s edition of the Western Canadian Soil Health and Grazing Conference looks certain to sell out all 500 attendee spots — repeating the feat accomplished when the inaugural edition was held two years ago. “Soil health […] Read more
Big or small, data makes all the difference, says veteran cattleman
Doug Wray is a well-known intensive grazing expert but he’s also an advocate of using genomics to push herd performance
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to make more money on your ranch, get more data. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” Irricana cattleman Doug Wray said at the recent Livestock Gentec conference. “We measure a lot of things. To have a successful ranching operation, you have to manage the resources you have. Every ranch is different.” […] Read more