Reading Time: 3 minutes “You do have to be committed to make it work, but we both enjoy it.” AF contributor An off-farm job can seem to be the only way to keep the bills paid, but one couple has found an alternative – an on-farm job. Both Norm and Heather Dodd were working at off-farm jobs, but it […] Read more
Keeping The Farm Afloat — With An On-Farm Job
FCC To Finance On-Farm Renewable Energy Systems
Reading Time: 3 minutes “We want to help our customers generate their own energy so they can become more efficient in their agricultural business.” AF contributor Everyone’s in favour of renewable energy, but few do anything about it. Now, if you want a project in your farm, Farm Credit Canada (FCC), has stepped up to the plate with an […] Read more
Horse ID System Presents Unique Challenges
Reading Time: < 1 minute af contributor Certification of a horse’s recent medical history is just the first step in building a complete tracking system for all equines, including pleasure horses, those involved in sports and those purpose-bred for meat. Such a system will have advantages in sports, retrieval of lost and stolen horses and the meat industry. The equine […] Read more
If You Own A Horse, Become Familiar With “EID”
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Meat buyers provide a floor for horse prices… and, if something has no value, it’s not looked after.” AF contributor The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced new regulations for horses destined for slaughter that will be the first step in changes for all horse owners. Starting July 31 this year, the owner of […] Read more
Put Your Business Dreams On Paper First
Reading Time: 3 minutes Finding a business opportunity that fits your personality and your situation is pretty tough. Developing a business plan that will help you get the backing you need for your new enterprise and keep the fledgling business headed in the right direction is even tougher. Jan Warren, an Alberta Agriculture business coach, has a simple system […] Read more
Former Weed Has A New Future As A Renewable Fuel
Reading Time: 3 minutes Prospects for camelina are looking up – in fact way up. The oilseed crop’s potential got a big boost last month when Boeing, JAL and KLM airlines concluded testing with successful flights of passenger airliners fuelled by camelina biofuel. That’s led to a partnership agreement between Great Plains Oil, the parent company of the Camelina […] Read more
Agricultural Capital Base Is Literally Being Eroded
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was 45 years ago that “Soil at Risk,” a Senate report on soil erosion, pushed soil conservation to the forefront of research and helped change farming on Canada’s Prairies. Zero till and minimum till have made made great strides in reducing the erosion of previous decades, but now our soils are threatened by “developers.” […] Read more
Foodgrains Bank Growing Project Looks For Land For 2010
Reading Time: 3 minutes It may be midwinter but the farmers who run the Coaldale-Lethbridge Growing Project are busy searching for a piece of land to rent for this year’s Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) project. The coming season’s project will be the fourth for this group, but the CFGB has been providing a practical way for farmers and their […] Read more
DON Levels Rising With New Fusarium Strain
Reading Time: 3 minutes “As we use more super-terminals and unit trains, there’s more risk that a major part of a shipload of grain originates in a single area where fusarium has infected grain” It started in Manitoba’s Red River Valley in the early 1990s, has been moving west ever since, and it’s finally here. Fusarium has become a […] Read more
Keep Several Arrows In Your Disease-Control Quiver
Reading Time: 3 minutes With all the effort that goes into breeding disease-resistant crops you might think it should be time we didn’t have to worry about them. The reality is that no matter what variety you use, its genetic resistance is just one part of stopping disease from robbing you of yield and grades. That was the message […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
