Reading Time: 5 minutes Ag-fuelled processing in Alberta – everything from hemp and pulses to renewable diesel – is gaining traction and opening new markets for producers. One of those is Canadian Rockies Hemp, which just opened the largest hemp fibre processing plant in North America at Bruderheim. The company’s products are used for textiles, building, pulp and paper […] Read more
Ramping up: processing of Alberta crops gathers steam
Food, fibre and fuel facilities are coming on stream and that’s good news for producers
New vet database already a hit with livestock owners
It doesn’t fix the vet shortage, but can help find species-specific veterinary care closer to home
Reading Time: 2 minutes Having trouble finding a veterinarian? Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) recently created an online database of veterinary clinics in the province. The list is searchable in a radius of up to 200 kilometres and can be refined for specific species. “We often hear of people who have diverse livestock species like llamas, alpacas, honeybees, and […] Read more
Take the long view by preparing for next year right now
There are several things to be thinking about now, including federal cash that’s up for grabs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Prepare for more dry times, grab hold of federal climate cash and keep watch for meaningful government action on the processing side. Those are three key recommendations from a prominent educator, a producer and a farm leader on positioning the ranch for 2023. Rainfall patterns have been different in the last three to five years […] Read more
Should soil organic matter be a factor in insurance premiums?
Research, including a study here, has found higher organic matter reduces drought impact
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers may one day see lower crop insurance premiums if they have high levels of organic matter in their soil. A study by the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation found that farms with higher soil organic matter have better yields and lower crop insurance claims. In the region between Edmonton and Red Deer, AFSC researchers divided fields according […] Read more
Foot-and-mouth a ticking time bomb: Is Canada prepared?
Livestock groups want millions of vaccine doses to be stockpiled but say Ottawa is ‘stalling’
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ottawa must stop ignoring requests to create a vaccine bank that could save the country’s livestock sector from a devastating a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, say provincial livestock leaders. The groups have been asking for a vaccine bank for years and in a recent letter, the chairs of Alberta’s cattle, cattle feeders, pork, sheep and goat […] Read more
‘Let’s give this a whirl’ – a farmers’ market can be a rewarding sideline
Reading Time: 4 minutes A central Alberta grain and cattle producer is sharing what it takes to add a farmers market sideline to a busy commercial farming operation. Double J Crop and Cattle is a third-generation family cattle and grain farm near Rimbey. In addition to beef (they have 300 head of cattle), they sell pork, poultry and lamb […] Read more
Virtual fence systems could be the next breakthrough in ranching
Though this technology is taking off in Europe and being studied here, it’s still early days
Reading Time: 4 minutes Research on virtual fences for livestock is gaining momentum in Western Canada. One technology being studied uses collars on animals that emit a series of audio warnings and, if need be, an electric pulse, when livestock approach an invisible boundary set with GPS coordinates. “The animals are actually able to get trained with the collars […] Read more
Watch the big picture and local situation, say grain market analysts
A slowing global economy is a key storyline but so is the basis offered by your local elevator
Reading Time: 4 minutes Global economies appear to be “falling off a cliff,” with reduced demand for crude oil and other commodities pressuring grain prices downward, says an Alberta-based commodities analyst. At the same time, lower than expected U.S. corn yields are supporting canola, wheat and soybean prices, said Errol Anderson, president of ProMarket Communications. Be ready to move […] Read more
No end in sight for soaring farm equipment costs
It’s not just the price tags on new equipment that’s shocking, it’s also the spillover effect in the used market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Prices for farm equipment continue to rise. And it’s not just fancy new iron that’s causing farmers to do double takes. How does $62,972 sound for a 1994 New Holland 9680 tractor? How about $49,995 for a 1995 John Deere 1850 air drill? Or $80,000 for an older tandem axle grain truck? “You’re seeing an […] Read more
Alberta bears brunt of avian influenza outbreak
Half of Canadian poultry losses have occurred here and officials fear the deadly virus will be a recurring threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes The most widespread avian influenza outbreak in Canadian history is still affecting Alberta. Three commercial poultry operations tested positive in late August and early September for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, bringing Alberta’s total to 35, according to an emergency task force set up by the province’s four poultry associations. More cases are expected this […] Read more
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