Reading Time: 3 minutes To seed early or not to seed early; that is the question. “If you have an early spring, there is that tendency to want to go early,” said Doon Pauly, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Lethbridge. “I’m fully expecting that we will be in the field by the middle of […] Read more
Ready to pull the trigger? Some thoughts on seeding early
A head start is tempting, but frost dates and saprophytic organisms may curb your enthusiasm
Lemon tart takes the cake at Mission Impulseible student competition
Pulse-based ‘Peamon’ tart takes the cake at Mission Impulseible
Reading Time: 2 minutes Calling something a “lemon” suggests it’s not up to par, but a lemon-based tart was the winner in this year’s Mission Impulseible. The “Peamon” tart was created by a trio of University of Alberta food science students who used canned red kidney beans, chickpeas, romano beans and great northern white beans as well as other […] Read more
Stepping up to the plate: Young farmers and the need to be involved
How to get young people involved in farm organizations — and why it matters
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farming has a bumper crop of grey hair, and industry veterans worry about where the next generation of leaders will come from. But some are already on the scene. Alberta Farmer asked four young producers what needs to be done to encourage young people to get involved in farm organizations. Mike Vanden Dool Alberta Milk […] Read more
Antimicrobial use could be slashed, say experts
Simple management changes, like pre-weaning vaccinations, can greatly increase immunity in cattle
Reading Time: 4 minutes The livestock sector could significantly reduce and in some cases, eliminate, antimicrobial use with simple changes in management practices, say veterinarians. And that would reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance and boost consumer confidence in the cattle industry. “The key is to have animals that are properly vaccinated,” said Craig Dorin of Veterinary Agri-Health Services. […] Read more
RCMP livestock investigator hangs up his hat — but not his spurs
"It’s hit and miss sometimes, looking for people’s cattle, but there’s nothing better than finding a guy who has stolen some cattle and putting him behind bars.” – Corporal Dave Heaslip
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cpl. Dave Heaslip will be hanging up his red serge coat and putting away his tall, dark boots — but he doesn’t plan to give up his horses. And when he retires April 2, his 45 years and 192 days of service will make him one of the longest-serving members in RCMP history. But the […] Read more
Basic info from cattle database will remain free
But new owners of BIXS also need to create revenue now that government funding has dried up
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cattle producers will be able to access basic data from the now privatized Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), but may have to pay for some types of information, says the head of the company. “BIXS is totally voluntary, just like the Internet,” said Hubert Lau, president and CEO of BIXSco. “You can use the Internet and […] Read more
Face the facts — trust trumps science for many consumers
And the key to building trust, says expert Charlie Arnot, is to show that farmers are transparent and share the same values as consumers
Reading Time: 4 minutes When it comes to talking about agriculture, a “just the facts” approach doesn’t cut it anymore. Attitudes towards the food industry have changed and those in agriculture have to adopt new tactics to reach out to consumers, said Charlie Arnot of the Center for Food Integrity. “People are fundamentally more skeptical about food than ever […] Read more
It’s getting dry — is it time to worry?
No, says weather expert, but areas across the province are on Bruce Burnett’s watch list
Reading Time: 3 minutes With warm-weather records dropping like flies and bare fields drying out in parts of the province, is there trouble ahead? Don’t worry yet, says Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist at the CWB. “I don’t think that this early-spring weather means that we are necessarily headed for a drought,” Burnett said in a March 20 […] Read more
Lentils getting lots of notice
The price is nice, but don’t forget their ability to fix nitrogen, reduce disease pressure, and improve soil
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers chasing the market are looking into lentils — but they pay off in other ways. Two are reduced disease and insect pressure, said Neil Whatley, crop specialist at the Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “If you’ve got canola/wheat (rotation), you can put something like a lentil or a field pea or a forage in there,” […] Read more
Pork producers will soon need to use pain medication in routine swine procedures
Pork producers will need to use pain medications for procedures such as castration and tail docking starting in July 2016
Reading Time: 3 minutes Change is coming, but it won’t be huge change nor difficult for pork producers to adopt. Effective July 1, 2016, producers will have to use pain mitigation medication when performing procedures like castration and tail docking. “There are a number of these elective husbandry procedures in the code, and these are painful procedures for pigs, […] Read more
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