Reading Time: 2 minutes Watch your language. That’s the advice of Ted Menzies for dealing with people who are fearful of modern farming practices. “We all face this challenge, it’s very complicated to explain,” said the president and CEO of CropLife Canada, an organization which represents the plant biotech sector. “We lead a very scientific life on the farm, […] Read more
Accentuate the positive in modern farming
FarmTech: Croplife CEO says farmers ‘will never win’ the debate about farming practices if their message is all about science
Hang on, market turbulence ahead
FarmTech: Currency wars, actual wars, China, ocean freight, Russia, and oil are just a few of the things roiling grain markets these days
Reading Time: 4 minutes Tough times are here to stay. This was the message that Errol Anderson delivered to a silent, sombre room during a session at FarmTech. “There is no sense kidding ourselves about what is going on,” said Anderson, a market analyst and president of ProMarket Communications. “What we’re going through right now is a correction. There’s […] Read more
Young Albertans show what rodeo is all about in TV doc
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most people don’t know about all the training and work done by rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. But now you can find out from the comfort of your own living room. Two Albertan and two B.C. rodeo families are the subject of a one-hour documentary called “Cowboy Up!” “I thought it would be pretty cool to […] Read more
A new lucrative niche market? That’s worth toasting
A decade-long quest to supply Alberta barley into the Japanese shochu market is getting closer to a successful conclusion
Reading Time: 2 minutes Kanpai! That’s the Japanese term for cheers — and the day is getting closer when it will be said as glasses of a popular distilled beverage made from Alberta barley are raised. “The Japanese don’t grow enough barley to supply their own market — they need tens of thousands of tonnes of barley every year,” […] Read more
McDonald’s confident it is now serving ‘verified sustainable’ beef
It’s only a small amount at present, but McDonald’s says beef that meets its environmental and other standards is now in the supply chain
Reading Time: 3 minutes McDonald’s says it is now selling ‘verified sustainable’ beef — but is holding off on saying it has fulfilled the pledge it made to consumers two years ago. “We’re confident that we are sourcing verified sustainable beef because we have completed 82 full verifications,” said Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, senior manager of sustainability with McDonald’s Canada. “Because […] Read more
Livestock drug use back in the spotlight
New ‘superbug’ gene has alarm bells ringing around world and will likely mean more oversight of antimicrobials here
Reading Time: 3 minutes The discovery that a much feared “superbug” gene has somehow crossed the border into Canada is increasing calls for more oversight of on-farm antibiotic and antimicrobial use. The new gene, called MCR-1, makes bacteria immune to a group of antibiotics used as the last defence to fight resistant bugs. MCR-1 was confirmed to have surfaced […] Read more
Starland County wants to spark solar revolution
The county established a co-op that is planning a solar farm that it hopes will be a model for Alberta communities
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new co-op plans to develop the first community-owned solar farm on the Prairies — a 12-acre block of solar panels to be located in Starland County. But the ultimate goal is much larger — to create a model that can be replicated across the province. “We’re excited that we can be a good host […] Read more
Want to up your grazing game? Disrupt, diversify, and stock high
Use a rich mix of forage species, build organic matter, and fight that urge to do the same things year after year, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes More of the same is not a good thing when it comes to pastures. “When you have a monoculture above the ground, you have a monoculture below the ground,” said grazing consultant Allen Williams. “In most monoculture situations, you have mined out many of the available minerals within the first two or three strata of […] Read more
Doing it right pays off for Vandervalk family
Reading Time: 3 minutes Being recognized by their peers is an honour, but the Vandervalk family has also discovered that good environmental practices pay off in a big way. “We found out that we can make more money and do less work by doing rotational grazing on what we used to call hayland,” said Jack Vandervalk, a recipient of […] Read more
Concerns about hormones in beef fuelled by myths, says expert
Reynold Bergen says producers need to use facts to contest ‘myths’ about hormones used in cattle production
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fears about hormones in beef production are completely unwarranted, says the science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council. “There are no health risks associated with growth promotants, but producers spend a lot of time answering the public’s questions to explain the facts and dispel some of the myths,” Reynold Bergen said during a recent […] Read more