Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’ve completed an environmental farm plan, you’ll feel fairly comfortable being verified as part of McDonald’s sustainable beef pilot project. That’s the take of Elise Walker, a Milk River-area producer who was verified in June — although the process looked overwhelming at first. “There are a lot of questions,” said Walker who, along with […] Read more
Alberta producer gives ‘verified beef’ process a thumbs up
Elise Walker says the process of being scored on a host of ‘indicators’ looked intimidating but turned out to be easy and informative
Mission accomplished: McDonald’s sustainable beef on track for 2016
The fast-food giant expects to have 300 beef operations verified by spring — and then it will hand off the initiative to the beef sector
Reading Time: 4 minutes McDonald’s Canada will reach its goal of selling “verified sustainable” beef next year, says the company’s senior manager of sustainability. “We’re right on track as far as we know — it’s hard to know how many producers we’ll be able to get interested and get through, but we’ve got some pretty good numbers now,” said […] Read more
Preventing conflicts with bears before they start
Reading Time: 2 minutes It doesn’t matter where you are in the province — Alberta is bear country. Bears prefer to be left alone, but tragedies do happen. It was the death of a woman attacked by a grizzly bear in Canmore in 2005 that led to the creation of the Bearsmart program. The voluntary program is a partnership […] Read more
Could a cement mixer have a place on your operation?
Composting deadstock is no different than garden waste — except you need a really big composter
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re in a wildlife corridor, the last thing you want to do is attract predators to your place. But that’s not easy if, like Marty Winchell, you’re raising sheep, pigs, laying hens and bees, as well as custom grazing cattle. Which is why there’s an old cement mixer sitting in his yard. His mixer […] Read more
It’s time to reward ranch stewardship, says Alberta Nuffield scholar
Coronation rancher Tim Smith will travel the globe to find ways to bring ecological goods and services into the Canadian mainstream
Reading Time: 3 minutes Paying farmers for stewardship that produces environmental benefits isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that’s been slow to catch on in Canada. Coronation rancher Tim Smith wants to know why — and what can be done to move ecological goods and services into the mainstream of agriculture here. “There are benefits in grassland biodiversity […] Read more
HARVEST 2015: It’s not good — but not as bad as it could have been
In many areas those poor, stunted crops managed a few extra bushels — now the challenge is getting them off
Reading Time: 3 minutes Some farmers are getting more in the bin than they expected this harvest — a bit of a silver lining in a tough year that has swung from drought to too rainy in many areas. “People are seeing a little better yield than they originally expected, maybe five bushels more,” said Kelly McIntyre, who grows […] Read more
McDonald’s cage-free move gets thumbs down
Egg Farmers of Alberta says enriched housing meets consumer concerns, and has advantages over free-run systems
Reading Time: 4 minutes The impact isn’t known yet, but Egg Farmers of Alberta isn’t pleased with McDonald’s Canada’s decision to switch to free-run eggs over the next 10 years. “From my perspective, I was a bit disappointed that they’ve chosen to go cage free, knowing the inherent benefits of the enriched housing system,” said David Webb, the organization’s […] Read more
Tapping into nutrients and tackling compaction with tillage radishes
The forage brassica has big-time potential for rejuvenating tired, compacted pastures — but there’s a learning curve
Reading Time: 3 minutes How effective are tillage radishes in rejuvenating poor soil and pastures? Staff at Clearwater County have been experimenting with tillage radishes to see if their theoretical benefits hold up in the real world. The fast-growing brassica can be used in forages as a cover crop and as feed for cattle; its long taproot can open […] Read more
Biocontainment plan can be a lifesaver during a disease outbreak
The to-do list is a long one in a crisis — and it’s better to have it all set down in writing
Reading Time: 2 minutes No one wants an infectious animal disease outbreak on their farm — but every producer should be ready for one, says an expert on biocontainment plans. “When we get into crisis mode, we tend to forget the important steps and communications pieces that need to be there — by having it all documented ahead of […] Read more
Tragedy spurs lifelong devotion to STARS
Reading Time: 2 minutes Instead of dealing with his grief privately after his youngest daughter Kristine died in a car accident, Stan Grad turned his efforts to fundraising for the Shock and Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS). In 1990, Grad wrote to STARS about the loss of his daughter, who had been airlifted to the Foothills Medical Centre. “With […] Read more
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