Reading Time: 3 minutes When someone told Roger Bott, he couldn’t grow sunflowers in his part of Alberta, he was determined to try. Eight years on, Bott and wife Bonita — and a lot of residents of Clearwater County — are glad they did. “People are also really enjoying looking at the sunflowers when they’re on the highway,” said […] Read more
Venture into sunflowers proves profitable
The Botts were told that sunflowers weren’t suitable for their farm, but that didn’t stop them
Cows that burp less could also save you money
Reducing methane from cattle means a reduction in greenhouse gases – and the key to that is feed efficiency
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cows that burp less are also more feed efficient. That’s the initial results of a study conducted by Thomas Flesch, a meteorologist from the University of Alberta and John Basarab, a University of Alberta professor and beef research scientist at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lacombe research station. The two scientists are using lasers to […] Read more
Dry doesn’t describe it in Mackenzie County
Almost no rain has fallen across a county that’s bigger than New Brunswick — and that’s devastating for the cattle industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes Drought hits everyone hard, but Mackenzie County’s 150 cattle producers have been squeezed harder and earlier than most — and the fallout may be felt for years. Cattleman Eric Jorgensen remembers looking at an agro-climatic map in mid-June that showed the province’s largest county, which at 80,000 square kilometres is larger than New Brunswick, had […] Read more
Stewardship program expecting a flood of new applicants
About 8,000 producers have completed an Environmental Farm Plan — but that number is about to grow by 5,000 a year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Jason Bradley thought he was a pretty good steward of the land — but doing an Environmental Farm Plan helped him become a better one. “If it wasn’t for the Environmental Farm Plan, this would not have come to fruition,” said the manager of Red Deer River Ranches, indicating the fenced-in riparian areas and the […] Read more
Rancher’s generous donation is a gift for all Albertans
Reading Time: 2 minutes Gottlob Schmidt had a dream of preserving the land that he has spent so much time on. And the realization of that dream will benefit all Albertans with the creation of the province’s 76th provincial park. “It has always been my wish that someday I could leave this land to someone else,” said the 90-year-old […] Read more
Are cattle well treated during transport?
New year-long study aims to collect hard data on the condition of animals and find ways to improve transport practices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Animal welfare during transport is a hot topic, and so Alberta Farm Animal Care is conducting a cattle benchmarking project that will track the condition of animals arriving at auction marts and abattoirs. “There’s a lot of talk around transport and what’s happening with animals,” said Angela Greter, the organization’s executive director. “We hear a […] Read more
Researchers using big data to find feed-efficient dairy cattle
The goal is to develop a prediction tool for breeding cows that will eat less with no loss in productivity
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers at the University of Alberta are looking to give producers a bit of a boost by isolating feed-efficient traits in dairy cattle. “We have an estimate that breeding for increased feed efficiency and reduced methane emission can reduce feed costs by about $100 per cow per year,” said Paul Stothard, an assistant professor of […] Read more
Hay-sourcing group riding to the rescue of those in need
Cindy Wilinski wanted to help so she harnessed the power of Facebook to source affordable hay for livestock owners hit hard by drought
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fed up with high hay prices and concerned about the lack of affordable hay, Cindy Wilinski decided to take matters into her own hands. Last month, the owner of CRW Equines set up a Facebook page called Hay List 2015 to connect hay buyers with hay sellers. “I was trying to group people together because […] Read more
A big test for Alberta’s wild horses
Advocates who want to save the animals hope DNA testing will prove they qualify as native to the province
Reading Time: 3 minutes Are Alberta’s wild horses native to the province or just domestic horses gone feral? A new DNA testing initiative aims to settle that question, and potentially end the battle over the wild horse cull. “We’re trying to determine if there are any special genetics among the wildies of the eastern slopes so we can decide […] Read more
Dry means extra dangers for grazing livestock
Water hemlock and blue-green algae are two killers that pose an increased risk in dry, hot years
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dried-up sloughs and waterways mean cattle can graze things they normally wouldn’t. And that can be deadly. Water hemlock — something cattle wouldn’t normally eat — is one of the dangers. Its leaves and stems are toxic, but the root is especially dangerous, with a marble-sized piece enough to kill a cow. “Water hemlock is […] Read more