Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta’s cattle industry is in a crisis due to another year of drought, and while the latest AgriRecovery program will help the situation, more is needed to maintain the stability of the sector, according to the vice-chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “It won’t be enough, guaranteed, and for some it’s too late and they won’t […] Read more
Feed assistance welcome but ‘won’t be enough’
AgriRecovery program comes too late for cattle producers who have already made the tough decisions
Cut clubroot off at the pass by thinking ahead
Resistant varieties not enough to tackle this disease of canola
Reading Time: 4 minutes Resistant canola varieties have played a major role in the war on clubroot but they are not enough on their own, say agronomists. An effective fight against the soil-borne, canola-targeting disease requires several solutions and fall is the time to think about them. “Because clubroot is such a complex disease, it’s really important that we […] Read more
Alberta beef producers in dire need of better drought response, says chair
Meanwhile, grain and canola producers managing with crop insurance
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta cattle producers need better business risk management (BRM) programs and they need them yesterday, says the chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “I believe we are in a crisis,” said Brodie Haugan from his ranch about 80 kilometres south of Medicine Hat. “We’ve seen the compounding effects of drought and severe weather. We’ve seen many […] Read more
Vaccination aims to leave cattle pink eye in the dust
New method promises to battle disease where it lives
Reading Time: 3 minutes Treating pink eye in cattle on pasture can be frustrating, time consuming and only minimally effective. That’s why researchers with the University of Saskatchewan have completed a trial project that may set the stage for more effective treatment. Results from the recent study, started by now-retired researcher Philip Griebel, suggest that dropping an experimental vaccine […] Read more
There goes the sun
Vertical farm takes Mother Nature out of the picture and augments food supply, says CEO
Reading Time: 4 minutes Give Barry Murchie just a few words to describe GoodLeaf Farms’ new Calgary-based farm facility and he’d probably say it’s a completely controlled vertically integrated operation that grows leafy greens, baby greens and microgreens. Give the GoodLeaf president and CEO a few more words and he’ll call it a step forward in Canada’s food sovereignty. […] Read more
Bleak 2024 for Canadian beef sector, says U.S. report
Only two things will save national cow herd, said analyst: feed and moisture
Reading Time: 3 minutes The United States Department of Agriculture has dropped a report painting a grim picture of the Canadian beef industry in 2024. And according to an Alberta market analyst, most of its forecasts check out. The Canada: Livestock and Products Annual report predicts an ongoing contraction of the Canadian cow herd driven by a dwindling heifer […] Read more
Alberta cereals harvest surprisingly resilient
Dryland farmers in the south took a hit, but other regions pulled up the provincial average
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s cereal crop production wasn’t terrible this year, but only if judging by provincial averages. Alberta Financial Services Corporation publishes the provincial crop report along with field staff at Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. As harvest unfolds, they’ve seen total yield estimates rise week by week. In its most recent edition, barley yield expectations increased by […] Read more
Research mentorship ‘fills in the gaps’ between science and ag
Industry mentors and mentees learn from each other
Reading Time: 6 minutes Primary producers and agriculture researchers have a shared goal: to find the best and most profitable ways to produce crops and livestock. So why does it often seem the two groups speak different languages? More than ever, science is becoming part of the language of agriculture, but a lot gets lost in translation. Since 2014, […] Read more
Canadian meat lobby says no deal better than bad deal
U.K. wants to have its cake and eat it too, meat lobby groups say
Reading Time: 4 minutes A trio of Canadian meat associations says no deal is better than a bad deal when it comes to trade. They’re protesting in advance of the United Kingdom’s acceptance into the Comprehensive Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The “Say ‘no’ to a bad deal” campaign implores the federal government to delay approving the U.K.’s acceptance […] Read more
Researchers want producers to plant more peas
Four-year project attempts to eliminate barriers to growing the crop
Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas are a powerhouse. Not only do they sport a low carbon footprint and contain a high amount of protein, they come with their own nitrogen. So why aren’t more producers planting them? The biggest reason is the risk of root rot, a disease of peas that can infect the soil for years. But what […] Read more
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