Reading Time: 5 minutes [UPDATED: Jan. 17, 2023] Canadian crop producers can reduce emissions from nitrogen fertilizer by double digits and still turn a healthy profit, says a report prepared for the country’s leading fertilizer advocate. However, even that will still fall short of the federal government’s nitrous oxide emissions goals. “To put it in broad strokes, the crop […] Read more
Cutting fertilizer emissions can be profitable if done sensibly
Report says farmers can boost the bottom line with 4R, but Ottawa’s goal is too much, too fast
Excess crop residue a yield-robbing issue on many farms
It’s a problem everywhere – mismatched choppers and harrows that don’t fix the problem, says agronomist
Reading Time: 4 minutes Throughout his travels as a consultant, Phil Needham has noticed producers continue to struggle with residue management to the detriment of crop emergence, plant counts and yield. Many residue management woes come down to two pieces of equipment: harrows and mismatched choppers on combines, said Needham, who operates an agronomy services company in Kentucky. “I […] Read more
Red light, green light — watch out farmers
Health and eco labels a sign of how food and farming is increasingly under the spotlight
Reading Time: 3 minutes Imagine a supermarket where every product is labelled by how healthy it is – green for foods deemed best for you and red for those that aren’t. Then imagine another store, where the ratings are instead based on whether the product was produced according to preferred environmental practices. Both of these (one is called Nutri-Score […] Read more
The bid to irrigate east-central Alberta
BIG DREAMS: Many hurdles lie ahead, but proponents say massive $1.3-billion project is a lifesaver for struggling region
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s the best thing that ever happened out here.” That’s how farmer Daryl Peers describes a proposal to spend as much as $1.3 billion to irrigate up to 108,000 acres in the Special Areas and Municipal District of Acadia. And while the project is far from a done deal, it’s desperately needed to rejuvenate the […] Read more
Driven by passion, preservationists find new uses for old farm buildings
Reading Time: 5 minutes For 17 years, Michael Gerrand drove the roads and back roads of southern Alberta for his job as a grazing specialist. He loved the job and he loved the travel, but there was one thing he’d see every day that stuck in his craw. “I started to see this trend of all of these beautiful […] Read more
Take time to learn the ins and outs of grazing brassicas
Toxicity can be an issue, and so can fussy eating, but brassicas can benefit the soil and extend the grazing season
Reading Time: 4 minutes With their ability to suppress weeds and break up compacted soil, brassica plants have become widely known as a good cover crop option. Many producers graze their cover crops, but brassicas can also serve as a grazing crop. “The brassicas are super watery and highly digestible,” said Jillian Bainard, a forage research scientist at Ag […] Read more
Rice could grow nice in southern Alberta
The harvest was a bust, but with more suitable varieties the Asian staple could be grown, trial determines
Reading Time: 3 minutes While it wasn’t the success hoped for, researchers have proven that rice can be grown under irrigation in southern Alberta. The plants failed to reach harvest, but project lead Michelle Konschuh said they did surprisingly well for a crop rarely grown in Canada. “We didn’t quite get to the finish line,” said the irrigated crop […] Read more
Right-to-repair advocates fighting, but not gaining much ground
No right-to-repair laws have been passed; dealers association says lack of broadband is the real issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been an uphill battle but the right-to-repair movement isn’t giving up and is getting closer to winning over lawmakers, says a leading American advocate. Right-to-repair legislation has been introduced in 42 states and two provinces — but none of the bills have made it into law, Gay Gordon-Byrne, head of The Repair Association, conceded […] Read more
Alberta eyes another blockbuster irrigation project
Proposed $1.3-billion project would transform east-central Alberta
Reading Time: 4 minutes The east side of Alberta could see revolutionary change if a $1.3-billion plan to irrigate 108,000 acres in the Special Areas and Municipal District of Acadia moves ahead. “Special Areas has everything it needs to become a highly productive agricultural area – everything except a reliable supply of water,” Jordon Christianson, chair of the Special […] Read more
Getting the facts on pesticide residues
Independent testing gives 15 watersheds a clean bill of health for pesticide concentrations
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta farm groups have done their homework to prove that farmers are good stewards of the province’s watersheds. Using an independent testing company and lab, the project extensively sampled 15 watersheds in central and southern Alberta for a panel of 129 pesticides. No instances of pesticide residues above prescribed limits were found. Team Alberta Crops, […] Read more
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