Reading Time: 3 minutes Soil nutrient sensor technology offers to save producers time and money, but do those promises measure up? The answer so far is a tentative yes, say researchers at Olds College. “It’s showing quite a bit of promise,” said Abby Sim, a research technician at the college. “A lot of them seem like they will be […] Read more
Soil sensor tech nears tipping point
Foothills ranchers share rules for water resiliency
Keep it simple: Riparian areas play an outsized role in vital watersheds, and caring for them isn’t complicated
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Eastern Slopes are what many people picture when they think of Alberta — a sweeping landscape of grass and rolling hills giving way to forests and ridges framed by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. But all that beauty masks serious issues, including the considerable strain on riparian areas. Key to the effort to […] Read more
It’s a ‘golden child’ but rough fescue is slowly disappearing
Stands of fescue once covered the province. Now a dedicated few are trying to save what’s left
Reading Time: 3 minutes Shaped by wildfire and grazing herds of bison, the fescue grasslands of Alberta dominated the Northern Great Plains until the soil attracted settlement that pushed out native prairie. What’s left remains under threat, advocates say, but there are ways to protect it. “I grew up with a father that was very entwined in the importance […] Read more
Cowboys and conservation: The battle for the Eastern Slopes
The fight to stop new coal mines in this iconic Alberta landscape is far from over
Reading Time: 5 minutes Nearly three years after the province tried, and failed, to open the Eastern Slopes to coal mining, this iconic piece of Alberta is still under threat, say those who live and work there. “We have to make sure that this land is going to continue for generations,” said Laura Laing, a Nanton-area rancher and part […] Read more
Green is good but variable-rate fertilizing needs to pay, say advocates
There’s a bottom-line boost but you’ll need more than a yield map and satellite photos
Reading Time: 4 minutes Variable-rate fertilization features heavily in Ottawa’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But beyond the green factor, does variable rate pay off? Yes, say two longtime users and an agronomist who helps farmers implement the practice. Applying the right amount of the right fertilizer at the right time in the right place — a.k.a. 4R […] Read more
Another way to lower emissions from fertilizers
How do these higher-efficiency products work and can they work for you?
Reading Time: 2 minutes While the federal government views 4R stewardship as a way to substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use, there is another way — more efficient fertilizer products that reduce volatilization, leaching and denitrification. And many farmers are using these fertilizers, which fall into two main categories: inhibitors and slow- or controlled-release formulations. David Carlson […] Read more
Satellite tracking of cows still a work in progress
The potential is big but cold, monitoring frequency, and price are issues, Alberta pilot finds
Reading Time: 3 minutes Oyen producer Heather Mundt has been keeping an eye on her eight high-tech heifers since fitting them with GPS-enabled smart tags last September. Despite some setbacks, she remains excited about what the technology has to offer, she said. Mundt and husband Brenton are part of a pilot project testing the Australian-made Ceres Tag. Unlike other […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
