Reading Time: 3 minutes Have you been itching to buy temperature and moisture measuring cables for your grain bin? Or maybe an imaging drone or some fancy soil sensors? If so, there may be up to $150,000 available to you. Through its new five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Ottawa and the province will split the cost of a number […] Read more
A new name, some familiar programs and a bunch of new money
Federal-provincial ag funding deal has new initiatives, old favourites and sizeable grants
Usual suspects top the list in profitability forecast
But on many operations, the bottom line may depend heavily on when you bought fertilizer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas could rival or even beat canola and wheat as a money-maker this year, but oats are likely to be a big disappointment, according to this year’s provincial profitability forecast. The good news is that nearly every major crop in all five major soil zones is estimated to be a money maker, before fixed costs […] Read more
Spring’s a good time for preventing residue snafus, say agronomists
Customers are watching and will be checking that Keep It Clean protocols are being followed
Reading Time: 2 minutes Most Alberta growers are on top of their pesticide choices and crop storage, says an Alberta agronomist. But even the most astute farmer can have blind spots and should be periodically checking the Keep It Clean website, said Keith Gabert, an Innisfail-based agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. He points to malathion in […] Read more
Seaweed saviour? Marine algae touted as fix for cattle burps
Everyone’s hyped over GHG-fighting seaweed, but is it safe and does it make sense?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Cow burps continue to be headline news, with many — from Bill Gates to a Calgary startup — backing seaweed to save the planet from methane-belching cattle. But despite the hype, slipping a little seaweed into cattle feed is unproven science that needs more study, says one of the leading experts on the issue. “The […] Read more
Is there too much green in the new ag funding deal?
The environment is a big focus of new deal; income and marketing not so much
Reading Time: 4 minutes The new $508-million agriculture funding deal between Ottawa and the provincial government is getting mixed reviews. “Overall it’s a pretty good framework,” said Alberta Canola vice-chair Ian Chitwood. “From Alberta Canola’s perspective, we really support it. It’s a pretty well-rounded suite of programs so I think it’s going to be good for producers.” But as […] Read more
Cereal commissions near merger with interim board announcement
‘Board in waiting’ will steer direction of a single provincial wheat and barley organization
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions have announced a new “board of directors in waiting” as the next step in amalgamation of the two organizations. The interim board, which will take over regional governance duties in conjunction with the Aug. 1 amalgamation, features 12 directors: six for wheat and six for barley. “I think the […] Read more
Finding workers the No. 1 challenge for Alberta beef processors
Labour is a top concern, but so are regulations and inter-provincial trade rules, new study finds
Reading Time: 4 minutes A shortage of workers is the biggest challenge facing Alberta’s beef processing sector, says a new industry report. However, Colleen Biggs doesn’t need a report to tell her that. “We pay quite a bit more than industry average and we still can’t seem to attract employees. I think that’s a big issue,” said Biggs, who […] Read more
The dangers of fatigue in the busy seasons on the farm
The consequences of a southern Alberta farm employee falling asleep last fall could have been much worse
Reading Time: 4 minutes Damaged equipment is bad enough for any farmer in the middle of harvest, but a co-owner of a southern Alberta farm says they could have lost much more. KCL Cattle Company lost thousands of dollars last fall when an employee crashed into a header after a long day in the field. The header was totalled, […] Read more
Farmers worried emissions targets will become mandatory
Ag minister vows they won’t but AgCanada survey finds producers remain ‘very concerned’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers remain concerned about federal emissions reduction targets and whether they’ll remain voluntary. Lots of producers are worried about Ottawa’s goal of reducing fertilizer-related greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, and that’s reflected in the “What We Heard” report recently issued by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said Shannon Sereda, senior manager of government […] Read more
Farmland is selling, but who’s paying the higher prices?
‘Non-traditional’ farmland buyers help drive up prices, highlighting tight land supplies across Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmland prices continue to rise across Canada, but who’s paying them? Not only farmers, says Farm Credit Canada’s chief economist. “We think there’s between nine to 15 per cent of (farmland) transactions that are purchases made by non-traditional buyers. That’s significant,” J.P. Gervais told an online news conference last month. Who are these non-traditional buyers? […] Read more
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