Reading Time: 4 minutes This winter’s El Nino isn’t likely to replenish moisture reserves on the Prairies – at least not directly. Early forecasts spoke of a “super” El Nino this winter marked by an abundance of snow and mild temperatures. Experts have since stepped it back to a “moderately strong” system with a possibility of mild temperatures. Precipitation […] Read more
Meteorologist predicts ‘moderately strong’ El Nino on the Prairies
Potential benefits likely won’t be felt until 2024 growing season
Equipment sales expected to soften in 2024
Interest rates, equipment prices and commodity prices will all play a role, says FCC
According to FCC's 2024 outlook for the Canadian farm equipment market, new sales are projected to be softer in 2024 based on three factors: higher interest rates, elevated equipment prices and a decline in commodity prices.
Don’t fear involvement in ag groups, say commission reps
There are more benefits than losses when you nominate yourself for a board
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s election season for many of Alberta’s farm organizations but it can feel like pulling teeth to get farmers involved, say representatives of grower groups. The positions are not necessarily as time-consuming as farmers may think because there are many people to help and in many cases work-life balance is prioritized. “It has to be […] Read more
Alberta potato sector thrives
Alberta spud growers produced more than those in Prince Edward Island in 2022 and more records are expected this year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Look out, Prince Edward Island. There’s a new leader in Canadian potato production. In 2022, Alberta was number one in the country in production tonnage. Farmers grew almost 27 million hundredweight, or 21.8 per cent of Canadian potatoes, beating the island by 0.2 per cent, according to StatCan. Producers may have had even more truckloads […] Read more
Province blames feds for limits to new beef program
Only approved municipalities will benefit from new CADLA program, raising producer ire
Reading Time: 3 minutes The provincial government is blaming the feds for a controversial condition in a new risk management program aimed at beef producers. The recently-announced Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance (CADLA) program has raised the ire of beef producers across Alberta. They’re unhappy that only growers in certain municipalities (mostly in the northwest and southern ends of the […] Read more
The time to talk succession is now, says advisor
Post-harvest a great time to talk succession, but be sure to set it up right
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fall is an excellent time to discuss farm succession, says a Calgary-based expert. “Harvest brings people together,” said Clark Lowry, a senior wealth advisor with Lowry Wealth Planning. “Once the harvest is done, I think it’s good for them to get together and have a discussion about what everybody’s intentions are.” According to a recent […] Read more
Young children, seniors figure highly in ag deaths
Sobering data offered by farm safety advocates at annual meeting of Canadian Agricultural Safety Association
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s good and bad news on Canada’s farm injury front. Deaths on farms or related to farming practices dropped an average of 1.4 per cent annually from 2011 to 2020. However, there were 624 agriculture-related deaths in that period. Of those deaths, 26 were children ages one to four and 124 were people ages 70 […] Read more
‘Little hammers’ control weeds on organic farm post-harvest
Tillage, grazing and cover crops are options for organic growers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Conventional grain farmers have chemical tools to manage weeds post-harvest, but for certified organic producers like Ward Middleton, options are limited. “We don’t really have a sledgehammer-type problem-solving option to control weeds, so we have to use many little hammers,” said Middleton, quoting weed ecologist Eric Gallandt, who coined the phrase at the 2012 Canadian […] 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
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
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
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