Reading Time: 3 minutes Will there be an upswing in winter wheat acres this year? One of the biggest drawbacks is timing — you have to get your spring-seeded crop off the field before sowing winter wheat. But that won’t be as big an issue in a big chunk of Alberta this year. An estimated 508,000 acres were never […] Read more
Is this the year that winter wheat makes a comeback?
Squeezing winter wheat seeding into a crammed harvest period is usually a big issue
Here’s the beef — marketing agency reports on its efforts here and abroad
New chief marketer for Canada Beef has a lengthy list of promotional work, and plans to do much more
Reading Time: 3 minutes The new chief marketer for Canadian beef has plenty to keep him busy. Francis Andres, Canada Beef’s new executive vice-president, had a lengthy report on the agency’s promotional work in the past year. Andres — who counts stints with Safeway, Saputo, and Kraft Foods in his lengthy resumé — was hired in May just as […] Read more
Canada ready to make ‘bold statement’ with sustainable beef program
After years of effort and unprecedented industry collaboration, a national sustainable beef program is poised for rollout
Reading Time: 3 minutes The long process to create a Canadian ‘sustainable beef’ program is nearing the finish line. “We will be launching in December a national framework — this is go time,” said Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, a Calgary-area rancher and chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. The effort to make Canada a world leader in producing cattle […] Read more
Farmers’ markets allowed to offer local beer
Craft breweries and local distilleries excited by the chance to introduce their products to a wider range of Albertans
Reading Time: 2 minutes Shoppers at provincially approved farmers’ markets can now crack open a brew or sip a bit of vodka. “We’re really excited with the news. It offers us the chance to expand our customer base and reach out to different sales channels,” said Marty Shaw, general manager of Ribstone Creek Brewery in Edgerton. The move puts […] Read more
Trump has been good for agriculture, says top U.S. cattle official
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the U.S. president is ‘getting a lot of stuff done for agriculture’
Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to agriculture, President Donald Trump is doing a crackerjack job, says a senior official with the top U.S. cattle association. “If you listen to the media, it’s nothing but conversations about Russia, South Korea and the overall general hatred for people who just don’t like Donald Trump,” said Colin Woodall, senior vice-president […] Read more
New tapeworm species infecting people in Alberta
There have only been five cases so far but experts are urging dog owners to take precautions
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a new parasite in Alberta being spread by coyotes, but there is no reason to be overly alarmed, says an infectious diseases expert. “We’re definitely not trying to encourage wholesale panic,” said Stan Houston, a professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. The parasite, introduced from Europe, is a potentially lethal […] Read more
Changing with the times: Honey producers successfully shift gears
Planning for Profits: When cheap Chinese imports sent honey prices crashing, Nixon Honey responded by diversifying its business
Reading Time: 3 minutes Working on your farm management skills is like exercising… it pays big benefits, but it’s easy to push it off for another day. Only one-third of producers use business advisors or risk management tools, and fewer still do HR, succession, or strategic planning. To help make your farm more profitable (and your life more enjoyable), […] Read more
‘Public trust’ conference aims to find ways to win back consumers
The popularity of campaigns attacking conventional agriculture shows that the industry needs to do more, says organizer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Public trust is eroding in Canada, and farmers — along with others in the value chain — need to fight back, says the head of a new ag organization aimed at winning back confused consumers. “The whole industry needs to know a whole bunch more about consumers,” said Kim McConnell, an Okotoks-based marketing expert and […] Read more
Where’s the beef? New food guide puts focus on ‘proteins’
Meat is being ‘merged’ with plant-based sources of protein in the revamp of Canada’s Food Guide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s Food Guide is getting revamped for the first time in 10 years — and there’s lots of speculation, especially on social media, about whether meat is being given a thumbs down. “It’s not as harsh as that, really,” said Joyce Parslow, director of consumer relations with Canada Beef. One of the guiding principles of […] Read more
Canadian dairy farmers sign on to international sustainability agreement
The Rotterdam Declaration calls on dairy farmers to promote sustainable practices and combat climate change
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dairy farmers from across the country witnessed the signing of an international declaration at the recent Dairy Farmers of Canada annual general meeting. “Last October, we did make commitments as a billion-strong community, in terms of what we would do to push dairy forward, to listen to and help deliver those sustainable development goals,” said […] Read more