A slim and disappearing snowpack has been a familiar sight this winter.

Conditions ripe for winter cereal wreck

Lack of snow cover, up-and-down temperatures and pooling and freezing all potential problems

Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Minimal snow cover, frigid temperatures in mid-January and above-average temperatures after that may have set the stage for winterkill in winter crops. The risk is high enough to cause concern among crop specialists. “The eastern Prairies are in a little bit better shape than (Saskatchewan and Alberta) but there’s huge swaths that […] Read more

Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA) researchers have purchased a new tractor and other equipment through a $267,000 investment from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) Accelerating Capacity Initiative.

Funding gets results for east-central Alberta research org

An investment of $267,000 from the WGRF has modernized CARA’s equipment fleet

Reading Time: 3 minutes A producer-led investment is helping an east-central Alberta research farm realize the full potential of its localized research. The Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA) in Oyen has bought a plot combine, tractor, pickup truck, GPS unit, cargo trailer and a mower tractor with $267,000 from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF). This funding is key […] Read more


Re-elected board chair, Roger Chevraux.

Alberta Canola elects new board

Roger Chevraux of Killam re-elected as chair

Reading Time: < 1 minute Both new and familiar faces make up Alberta Canola Producers Commission’s new board of directors. The board — elected at the organization’s 34th annual general meeting — includes re-elected chair Roger Chevraux of Killam. Charles Simoneau of Guy will replace long-serving board member Ian Chitwood of Airdrie as vice-chair. Jeff Frost of Olds — a […] Read more

Cattle drink out of a disappearing dugout. Drought remains one of the open questions for the 2024 season.

FCC projects profit loss in 2024

Hits expected on grain price, but economist ‘cautiously optimistic’ on interest rates and input costs

Reading Time: 7 minutes A prominent Canadian ag lender is projecting a 4.8 per cent decline in farm cash receipts in 2024, due in part to a softening market. Consequently, its leading economist is urging producers to find any way to save money. “In this environment, I do think that management skills are absolutely critical,” said J.P. Gervais, vice-president […] Read more


Striped flea beetles 
gather on a canola plant.

Prepping for the 2024 canola crop

Planning for crop stresses now will set growers up for success when it is time to act: agronomists

Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Winter isn’t exactly prime time to scout for insects, diseases and weeds, but last year’s pests may provide a baseline to help prepare for the next canola crop, agronomists say. “Review the challenges you had last year and have a plan in place as to how you’re going to handle them this […] Read more



“Producers can now search the CRSB- certified status of an RFID tag on the Canadian Livestock Tracking System. We hope this search function will help with producer participation in the program.” – Kristine Tapley, chair of CRSB’s framework committee.

Sustainable beef program brings framework up to date

Includes focus on transparency, clarity and consistency

Reading Time: 2 minutes A leading industry-run sustainable beef program is touting a new and improved update of its guiding framework. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) has released a “fulsome” rethink of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework (CSBF) prioritizing transparency, clarity and consistency. It comes on the heels of the the framework’s first scheduled five-year review in […] Read more

AFSC offers two hail insurance options to Alberta producers: hail endorsement and straight hail insurance.

Alberta dwarfs the Prairies in hail claims

It’s not just because we get more hail, says crop insurance expert

Reading Time: 3 minutes When a province has a huge chunk of its geography referred to as “hailstorm alley,” it’s not surprising crop producers would get a lot of payouts for hail damage. But does that alone explain why total insurance payouts for hail damage in Alberta are about seven times more than the other Prairie provinces? According to […] Read more



Photo: File

Beef marks GHG drop: report 

Assessment reveals industry has reduced emissions by 15 per cent 

Producing a kilogram of boneless beef cuts today involves 15 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than in 2014, according to the recently released National Beef Sustainability Assessment (NBSA) and Strategy report.