Reading Time: 3 minutes Your most feed-efficient cattle also may be the best when Mother Nature turns the thermostat way up or way down. And that’s increasingly important, says a leading beef researcher. “Significant extremes have become more noticeable,” said Gleise Silva, an expert in cattle nutrition and an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. “What I would […] Read more
Are feed-efficient cattle the best bet for climate change?
Researcher aims to find out if those cows are better able to deal with sweltering heat and bitter cold
Boldly going: Potato growers head into unexplored territory
It’s nerve-wracking to be a trailblazer, but Groot family committed to trying something very different on their farm
Reading Time: 5 minutes These days farmers are encouraged to be experimental, and to conduct trials on their own land to see what works best for them. What agronomists may not say is just how nerve-wracking it can be. And that goes double when doing something that has rarely, if ever, been done before. In the case of Gibbons-area […] Read more
Bigger and better is the target for Ag-Expo’s bounce-back year
Ag-Expo is putting on a full-scale show this year, and organizers are expecting record crowds
Reading Time: 4 minutes Organizers of one of Western Canada’s biggest farm equipment shows expect the event to bounce back in 2023 and be bigger than ever. “I’m hoping to see in the neighbourhood of 10,000 (attendees),” said Dave Fiddler, show manager of the Ag-Expo and North American Seed Fair, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 2 in […] Read more
Canadians fret about food but not about those who produce it
Rising prices have sapped consumer confidence, but they still trust farmers, annual survey finds
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumers still view farmers as the good guys and even more so when it comes to animal welfare. That’s according to the latest edition of an annual survey of Canadian attitudes toward the food system. “As far as the farmers, I trust that they are the best resource of the food system, always providing the […] Read more
Province’s ag societies bounce back in a big way
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s ag societies got back to business — and back on their feet — last year. “Generally what we’ve heard is that 2022 went very, very well,” said Tim Carson, CEO of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies. “There was some excellent programming provided by agricultural societies in their local communities that were very well […] Read more
Search for the holy grail of N fertilizer continues
You can now buy nitrogen-fixing bacteria for your crops but when it comes to wheat, the jury is out
Reading Time: 5 minutes A real-world test of nitrogen-fixing bacteria conducted in Alberta was a bust when it came to boosting yields, but no one is throwing in the towel yet. “It’s too early to tell. You can’t base anything off one year worth of trial data,” said Erek Bishop, a participant in one of four trials of Utrisha […] Read more
Chequebook will get a workout, but a good year expected
Economist predicts a five per cent rise in input costs, but says commodity prices should stay high
Reading Time: 3 minutes Think the 2022 crop was the most expensive ever put into the ground? This year might give it a run for its money. The good news, such as it is, is that input costs are no longer shooting up as fast as they did last year. “For 2023 we’re expecting an increase (in fertilizer prices) […] Read more
Few yield boosts, but lots of food for thought in farmer-driven trials
With Plot2Farm, producers themselves answer key questions on emerging practices
Reading Time: 4 minutes Boosting nitrogen in barley, wide- versus narrow-row spacing, and three-way split nitrogen applications were in the spotlight in producer-driven on-farm trials in 2022. Although increased yield wasn’t in the cards in several cases, moments of clarity may have made up for it. Plot2Farm is a field-scale research program in which farmers themselves conduct the kind […] Read more
Peak diesel prices may be ending but at a price
Analyst says softening economy should push down fuel prices, but that could hit farmers in other ways
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers could soon see some relief from high diesel fuel prices but they may not like how it happens, says a Calgary energy analyst. Canada is shortly going to feel the effects of last year’s ground-breaking interest rate hikes, complete with slowdowns in the economy, the GDP and consumer demand, said Vijay Muralidharan. With that […] Read more
Will there be any new varieties in your line-up this year?
Reading Time: 6 minutes New varieties often promise higher yields, more robust resistance, better standability and other benefits. But there can also be trade-offs. “Sometimes a new variety comes out and maybe the yield is better, but did you lose anything with that variety, whether it’s protein or maturity?” asked Greg Stamp of Stamp Seeds in Enchant. “And then […] Read more
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