Reading Time: 4 minutes Although it’s too early to tell for sure, drought conditions appear to be on the horizon for 2024. According to the Canadian Drought Monitor (an AAFC publication) in its December 2023 drought assessment, 100 per cent of the Prairie region at month-end was classified as abnormally dry or in moderate to exceptional drought, including all of […] Read more
What pulse should I plant?
Pulse experts weigh in on the best crop choices for a possibly dry year
California law worries provincial pork industry
Locals will have to follow Prop 12, weakening CUSMA agreement, says industry leader
Reading Time: 4 minutes A leader in Alberta’s pork industry is concerned about the precedent California’s Proposition 12 may set in agricultural trade between Canada and the U.S. Prop 12, which became law Jan. 1, stipulates that sows supplying the state’s consumers must be grouped in housing that provides a minimum of 24 square feet per sow. For Darcy […] Read more
Big iron rakes in big dollars
Equipment sales boost largely driven by late deliveries, but that’s not the only factor
Reading Time: 3 minutes A big boost in four-wheel-drive tractor sales signals that the farm equipment industry is returning to normal, say salespeople and other industry experts. New 4WD unit sales in Canada grew 84.8 per cent year over year in November and 41.5 percent year to date, according to the Association of Equipment Managers. In October, it reported Canadian sales of tractors […] Read more
Levy boosts, program cuts on Alberta Canola table
Producer group faces fourth deficit budget in five years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Facing a $1.1 million deficit, Alberta Canola members have two options: cut programs or increase farmer-supported service charges, commonly known as levies. The dilemma was brought up in a recorded message from Rick Taillieu, director of engagement and analytics with Alberta Canola, at the organization’s online grower engagement meeting Dec. 19. “The challenge is getting […] Read more
Field-scale trials present seeding and yield mystery in wheat
Trials see little yield difference by boosting seed count. But don’t plant less, says agronomist
Reading Time: 3 minutes Call it an agronomic mystery. It’s been proven time and time again that, barring unforeseen challenges, the more seeds planted, the more crop harvested. But those aren’t the results the Alberta Grains Plot2Farm program has seen in its field-scale trials on spring wheat. Four years of field trials have consistently shown that increasing seeding rates […] Read more
Building a better fertilizer from wood waste
Fertilizer from pulp mill byproduct has worked in the forestry industry, but would need research before applying it to ag
Reading Time: 3 minutes A biosolid-based fertilizer that has improved soil and reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the forestry sector could, with research, be useful for agriculture, according to one University of Alberta professor. Scott Chang’s research combined pulp mill waste with conventional fertilizer to support growth of hybrid poplar trees in northern Alberta. The idea was to develop […] Read more
Sugar beet growers seek to expand sector with domestic policy
It wouldn’t stop strikes, but it would recharge Canada’s sugar industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A domestic sugar policy would help kickstart the Canadian and particularly the Albertan sugar industry, says a major player in the sector. The Alberta Sugar Beet Growers want a national domestic sugar policy, which the organization says could lay the foundation for resurgence in the sector. Such a policy would regulate the […] Read more
Taking the angst out of cow-calf record keeping
BCRC course designed to help cow-calf producers choose most relevant traits to track
Reading Time: 3 minutes When some beef producers see the amount of record keeping done by purebred operations or participants in VBP+, they may thank their lucky stars that they don’t have to do the same. But experts at the Beef Cattle Research Council would say that genetic record keeping doesn’t have to be cumbersome for cow-calf or commercial […] Read more
‘Getting in front of farmers’ key to outstanding young farmers’ success
Greg Stamp and family have grown a southern Alberta retail seed business into a going concern
Reading Time: 4 minutes Greg Stamp has become so well-known in Alberta’s seed industry that he barely needs an introduction. That didn’t happen by accident. Stamp has always been keen to talk with farmers about their needs and expectations, whether through the media, blog posts or good old-fashioned face time. Stamp and his wife, Sarah, were among the winners […] Read more
Latest federal economic update light on ag mentions
Biofuel-related tax credit among few interest pieces
Reading Time: 2 minutes While a brief item on right to repair generated opposing views in late November, other ag mentions were light as the federal government unveiled its 2023 Fall Economic Statement Nov. 21. A search of the 141-page document for the term “agriculture” revealed only a handful of results. One of the few sections of interest for […] Read more
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