Reading Time: 3 minutes Paul Wipf has a passion for safety and has always wanted to raise awareness about farm safety on his colony. That prompted the farm manager of Viking Colony to partner with a workplace health and safety consultant to develop a first-of-its-kind safety program specifically for Hutterite colonies. “This has been in my heart and mind […] Read more
Hutterite colony creates first-of-its-kind farm safety program
The Viking Colony is partnering with a safety expert to create a program geared to Hutterite colonies and their diverse enterprises
The great divide: Earls controversy has larger implications for beef industry
A move to woo customers with ‘certified humane’ beef ignited a firestorm — and highlighted the gap between producers and consumers
Reading Time: 5 minutes The decision by Earls Restaurants to stop using Canadian beef and move to American “certified humane” proved short-lived, but the issue is much bigger than one restaurant’s choice of suppliers. Earls quickly reversed the decision that sent waves of displeasure through the beef industry. But the controversy has highlighted both consumers’ lack of knowledge about […] Read more
Expert suggestions for the best on-farm research
Here are some key considerations to get the best results from your on-farm trials
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to on-farm research, the key things to remember are preparation, location, and repetition. “The rigour you have to use goes up considerably if you want to turn it into research,” said Dan Heaney, research and development vice-president with Farmers Edge. Long, narrow configurations work better than block configurations for check strips, Heaney […] Read more
Alberta honeybees are busy — but not well understood
Researcher says there’s a lot to learn about how honeybees could be used to further boost canola yields
Reading Time: 3 minutes Having bees around your canola field might be good for your yield, but the exact details of how and why are not known yet. That’s where people like Shelley Hoover, apiculture researcher with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in Lethbridge, comes in. Hoover’s research deals with bee health, bee pollination, and the impacts bees have on […] Read more
Alberta land prices continue to soar
Farm cash receipts were a ‘pleasant surprise’ last year and that kept upward pressure on land prices
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was another big year for Alberta and Canadian farmland prices, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual survey. On average, provincial farmland prices jumped by 11.6 per cent, the ag lender said in its 2015 Farmland Values Report while nationally they rose 10.1 per cent. But there are a lot of variations across the province, […] Read more
Sheltered from the storm — Canadian farm sector doing well
Low dollar and a robust demand for pulses, canola, and specialty crops has spared Prairie producers from troubled times
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the U.S. enters a dark period for its farm economy, there’s cautious optimism in the Canadian agricultural outlook. “The net income and the overall situation in the United States is not looking good,” said Craig Klemmer, senior agricultural economist with Farm Credit Canada. “When we look at the net income expectations for 2016, there’s […] Read more
ALMA a casualty of provincial government cuts
Agency has proved its worth, industry leaders say
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency is being dissolved — and its demise is being mourned by many in the industry. “We were surprised and disappointed,” said Dave Chalack, a rancher and veterinarian who is chair of ALMA’s board. “I know we had a great organization and one that has evolved in a significant and […] Read more
Increasing demand has Alberta’s rabbit industry hopping along
But the sector could be expanding more rapidly if there were more slaughter capacity
Reading Time: 2 minutes The rabbit industry is moving more like the tortoise than the hare — but with good reason. “Because rabbits are small, they lend themselves to surviving in unhygienic and unsatisfactory conditions for them,” Marion Popkin, a member of the Alberta Rabbit Producers Association, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted by Alberta Farm Animal […] Read more
Group wants to help new farmers find success
Young Agrarians in B.C. aims to meet the needs of new farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s no secret that there’s a need for new farmers to join the aging agricultural industry, but new entrants have their own unique challenges. That’s where Young Agrarians, a group designed to meet the needs of the new farmer, comes in. Young Agrarians, formed in B.C. in 2012, launched an Alberta chapter in February. It’s […] Read more
Canola crush is thundering along at a record rate this year
Crush production records have been falling like flies, and both producers and the wider economy are benefiting
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year’s canola crush is on pace to be the highest ever, which is good news for producers. “It’s great for farmers,” said Renn Breitkreutz, vice-chair of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. “Our product is in demand and we’ve seen significant investment in crush capacity over the past couple of years and now it seems […] Read more