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Don’t let furry friends fall to bird flu

Cats reported sick, dying from H5N1 infection; CFIA offers tips to help keep pets safe

According to the CFIA, animals that hunt, scavenge or otherwise consume infected birds are at risk. For example, cats that go outdoors may hunt and consume an infected bird. Dogs may scavenge dead birds. “If your pet has found a sick or dead bird or other wildlife, report it to your regional avian influenza hotline or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative,” advises the CFIA.

University of Alberta researcher Habibur Rahman believes crossing canola with genes from its extended family will result in a host of desirable traits in canola.

Building a better canola with broccoli

Traits from related species may punch up canola diversity

Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s little doubt that canola is a powerhouse crop. Nationwide, it covered nearly 22.1 million acres last year, more than 99 per cent of it on the Prairies. The Canola Council of Canada puts its economic contribution at nearly $30 billion a year. A University of Alberta researcher, backed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering […] Read more



Ian Ryan, senior livestock economist with the provincial government, says AgriProfits fills a benchmarking gap by providing Alberta-based cost of production data.

Alberta program offers cost of production benchmarks

AgriProfits designed to help farmers optimize costs with relevant provincial data

Reading Time: 3 minutes You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is a refrain among agricultural producers of all stripes, and the right measurement tools usually come in the form of benchmarks. However, there’s a shortage of benchmarks that specifically measure cost of production, so the provincial agriculture department has developed a program exclusively for Alberta farmers. It’s called […] Read more



A view of Oldman River which flows into the Oldman Reservoir, which according to local news media is at its lowest point in 30 years, near Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada March 15, 2024.  REUTERS/Todd Korol

Large southern Alberta water users agree to reduce water use in severe drought

Users include participating irrigation districts, municipalities and industries

Reading Time: 2 minutes Thirty-eight of the largest and oldest water licensees in southern Alberta – including irrigation districts – have agreed to reduce their water use if severe drought conditions develop this spring or summer.  Described by the Province of Alberta as “the largest water-sharing initiative in Alberta’s history,” these agreements are intended to ensure Albertans get the […] Read more


Renewable Industries Canada is promoting an increase to biofuel and biodiesel mandates. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Renewable diesel facility to run on Alberta canola

Imperial receives 12 per cent tax credit for Strathcona-based agri-processor

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Imperial Strathcona Refinery in Alberta is receiving a 12 per cent tax credit for its $720 million under-construction canola-based renewable diesel facility that is said to need millions of tonnes of canola seed per year. The credit comes from the Province of Alberta’s Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, which offers a 12 per cent non-refundable […] Read more

As of early April, the virus seems to be targeting older lactating cows and there have been no reports of HPAI in feedlots.

Canadian beef digging in against avian influenza

Producers urged to ensure biosecurity practices are implemented

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Beef cattle producers in Alberta and Manitoba are taking biosecurity measures should the bird flu strain infecting some U.S. dairy herds jump the border and into Canadian beef cattle. “We’re certainly encouraging producers to keep security in mind during this time,” said Karin Schmid with Alberta Beef Producers (ABP). Recommendations include minimizing […] Read more


“There’s still a lot of unknowns with that as we are working our way through the epidemiology and trying to understand how this transmission is occurring.” – Dr. Samantha Uhrig.

Beef sector braces for bird flu

Avian influenza strain may not affect beef cattle the same as dairy

Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The strain of bird flu infecting U.S. dairy herds could become a problem for the beef sector, but it may not have the same effects as it did in the dairy barn, according to New Mexico’s state veterinarian. The main economic impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle has […] Read more

Getting insight into the contents of your soil through DNA testing can help you make better cropping decisions the firm behind the technology says.

Know your soil, right down to the DNA

New soil tool called a ‘game changer’ for agronomic decisions

Reading Time: 4 minutes If this was a police procedural, DNA taken from the scene of a crime would help lock away the bad guy. Here, the scene is a field, the farmer is the hero, and the bad guy might be a hidden crop disease that the farmer can arrest because DNA samples warned him it was there. […] Read more