Reading Time: 3 minutes Faba beans are easy to grow, but a challenge to sell. But there’s at least one exporter/processor ready to buy both zero-tannin and traditional faba beans. Greg Stamp has been growing faba beans for several years, but they became a much more important part of the family business since they formed a partnership with Saskcan […] Read more
Seed grower says fababeans are fabulous
The pulse crop is easy to grow — if you have the right seeding equipment — but selling them has been a challenge until recently
Alberta government wants your say on water
Four groups Opinions sought on lakes, drinking water and water treatment, water management and fracking
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta government wants your opinions on water. It’s preparing a questionnaire, holding meetings across the province and putting a booklet and questionnaire on the Internet to give Albertans a chance to have their say on water issues. Alberta Environment says it is open to looking into any issue people want to bring forward, but […] Read moreTillage radish has numerous uses but excels at breaking up hardpan layers
UNDER PRESSURE The brassica crop produces a “super carrot” type of root that can generate pressure of 240 pounds per square inch to bust through hardpan
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tillage radish seems to be a crop with almost endless uses. It can break up a hardpan better than costly deep rippers and subsoilers, provide forage for cattle, prevent soil erosion, and boost yields in following crops. Tilley-area seed grower Patrick Fabian has seen it work well in a wide variety of situations. “We first […] Read moreBarley prices seen as holding for the next while
Opportunity Good barley prices present an opportunity to get rotations away from canola
Reading Time: 3 minutes The drought in the U.S. has hit corn supplies hard and boosted barley prices, a situation that’s likely to persist at least into next summer, says at Alberta Agriculture provincial crops market analyst. Charlie Pearson says the markets make this winter a good time to think about extending rotations that have been shortened to focus […] Read moreCollision reductions a win-win for motorists and wildlife
Good investment Underpasses and other measures to avoid wildlife collisions pay off, says a U of C study
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you drive a lot of country roads or big highways, sooner or later you’ll hear the thud of your vehicle hitting a bird or an animal and feel the guilt of killing or injuring an innocent creature. If you hit a big animal, like an elk or a moose, you or your passengers could […] Read moreSouthern Alberta has gotten drier and warmer in the last 50 years
WATERSHED FORUM Science forum hosted by the Oldman Watershed Council covered diverse topics and identified new areas of concern
Reading Time: 2 minutes Warmer and drier. That’s been the climate story for southern Alberta during the last 50 years, says University of Lethbridge geography professor, Stefan Kienzie. Kienzie presented his analysis of Environment Canada weather data going back to the 1960s at the recent biennial science forum hosted by the Oldman Watershed Council. The data shows Lethbridge’s annual […] Read moreProvince urged to overhaul water laws to stave off a billion-dollar crisis
DROUGHT WARNING Water Matters says a return to periodic multi-year droughts is inevitable but better rules could save both rivers and the public purse
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta needs to revamp its water regulations before an inevitable long-term drought pushes the current water allocation system into crisis, according to the Water Matters Society of Alberta. “We need to ensure water is available for all the competing demands on our rivers — but in Alberta, nobody is responsible for the health of the […] Read moreHarvest one of the sweetest ever for southern Alberta beet growers
Not final Grower returns will still depend on storage risks and the market price for sugar
Reading Time: 3 minutes The sugar beet harvest is winding up and it looks like it might be one of the best ever for Alberta’s beet farmers and the Rogers Sugar plant (Lantic Inc.) in Taber. “The beets we’ve processed so far are really good quality,” said Andrew Llewelyn-Jones, agricultural superintendent for Rogers Sugar. “Sugar content is as good […] Read moreGood yields and good prices for edible beans this year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing edible beans in Alberta has always been a bit of a gamble — more than one grower has paid off a land purchase with a good crop of the type of beans in demand that year. On the other hand, with any combination of a poor harvest, the wrong type of bean or a […] Read more
2,4-D resistance no big deal in Alberta — but stay on your toes
Waterhemp Its relation to pigweed, already found resistant, is of concern to researchers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent discovery in the U.S. of a population of waterhemp resistant to 2,4-D grabbed a lot of attention, as the old standby chemical was seen as an option for controlling the weed that’s already become resistant to glyphosate. But the waterhemp discovered in a Nebraska grass seed field are not the first weeds resistant to […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
