Reading Time: 4 minutes Beef producers may need to further reduce their herds and seek government aid for a second year in a row if drought conditions persist, says Alberta Beef Producers. The organization is already talking to the province about potential assistance, said vice-chair Jason Hale, a cow-calf producer in the Bassano area. “It’s tough, because we don’t […] Read more
Cattle leaders in talks with province as drought enters second year
But government help may not be enough to stave off major cull this year
With fewer young farmers, what will the future hold?
The shift to very large operations run by a smaller number of (mostly older) producers is intensifying, latest census finds
Reading Time: 4 minutes The average age of farmers keeps going up, but it’s not because younger people don’t want to farm — it’s high land prices and tight margins that’s keeping them out, the latest ag census suggests. Bob Ohlhauser agrees. “It’s about money,” said the 82-year-old who still helps operate a medium-size grain farm near Carbon, an […] Read more
Snack maker chooses Airdrie for potato chip facility
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta agriculture is adding another notch to its economic diversification belt. Super-Pufft, one of North America’s largest makers of salty snacks for retailers and national brands, is opening a $50-million potato chip-processing facility in Airdrie. “Hopefully very soon we’ll open our state-of-the-art facility that is going to cater to Western Canada and western United States,” […] Read more
Good things come in threes as Alberta adds another pulse plant
New $225-million facility in Strathmore will be a major buyer of peas, venture's founder says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Another pulse processing facility is coming to Alberta, this time in the town of Strathmore. And the $225-million fractionation plant is going to need a lot of yellow peas from area producers — 40,000 tonnes annually, said Chris Theal, a Calgary oil patch veteran who founded Phyto Organix, and is the privately-held company’s CEO and […] Read more
Avian flu hits Alberta, and the cost is already high
The bird flu strain spreading around the world has a very high mortality rate, says producer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta poultry and egg producers remain on alert as the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of avian influenza continues to spread across the country. At press time, there have been 17 confirmed cases of avian influenza. Flocks on affected properties have been euthanized using CO2 gas under federal protocols. Primary control zones are being established in […] Read more
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