Reading Time: 6 minutes Consumers have latched on to a new-to-them concept that puts soil health front and centre — regenerative agriculture. “For farmers, (regenerative agriculture) is nothing new, but now we’re starting to see consumers use the term,” said Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Nourish Food Marketing in Toronto. “When we look at it, we see it potentially becoming […] Read more
Regenerative agriculture is becoming the next big thing for consumers
As interest in how food is produced increases, regenerative ag is becoming a fast-growing trend
Diversity more than a buzzword at Alberta’s agricultural colleges
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta’s ag colleges are growing the next crop of industry workers — and they’re trying to make that workforce more inclusive and diverse. “In the ag sector, we’re in a lot of international markets, and being able to deal with all sorts of different people in all sorts of different situations is going to become […] Read more
Matchmaking: Select cattle genetics that are a fit for your operation
Factors such as forage quality or even how far cattle walk can be key when selecting genetics
Reading Time: 4 minutes Putting cattle into an environment that doesn’t suit them is like jamming a round peg in a square hole — you might be able to make it work, but it’s going to take some effort. “Genetic selection is really about putting DNA into production,” said Vermilion-area beef producer Sean McGrath. “You’re buying DNA and you’re […] Read more
The plant protein ship hasn’t sailed — but time is running out
Manitoba and Saskatchewan are part of the pulse-processing boom — but in Alberta, nothing
Reading Time: 7 minutes For nearly five years, Chris Chivilo has been ready to break ground on a new pulse-fractioning facility near Bowden. And every year, his plans have been pushed to next year. First, the bottom fell out of the pulse market. Then the capital just wasn’t there. Then the pandemic. But you only get so many ‘next […] Read more
‘Actively trying’ to attract value-added processing, says minister
Government says more processing is a priority, but opposition says other provinces pulling ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta is lagging behind the other Prairie provinces when it comes to plant protein processing — but the provincial government is working on it, says the agriculture minister. “Whether it’s canola processing, plant proteins, greenhouses, agri-technology, hemp — there are numerous types of commodities that we’re trying to attract value-added investment domestically and internationally to […] Read more
Company plans straw-based MDF mega-plant at Trochu
Booming fibreboard demand creates opening for Great Plains MDF
Reading Time: 4 minutes Central Alberta wheat and barley growers may soon be able to turn their straw into gold — or at least into cold, hard cash — once an $800-million MDF plant is up and running near Trochu. The recently announced Great Plains MDF plant will convert roughly 800,000 tonnes of wheat straw annually into 480 million […] Read more
Olymel closure due to COVID creates costly backlog for hog producers
Backlog of hogs tops 100,000 and it will take weeks to work through it when plant reopens
Reading Time: 2 minutes Red Deer’s Olymel plant remains closed following three deaths linked to the COVID-19 outbreak at the hog processing facility. The plant closed temporarily but indefinitely on Feb. 16, and as of press time, it remained closed, with more than 500 confirmed COVID cases linked to the facility by Alberta Health Services. That’s more than a […] Read more
Your 2021 disease forecast will depend on your weather forecast
Keep an eye out for the usual suspects in your crops this year if the weather turns wet, says researcher
Reading Time: 4 minutes Predicting which diseases will cause problems on your farm this year is a little like predicting the weather — you know it’s going to hit you, but you don’t know when or how bad it will be. And it doesn’t help that these two unpredictable forces often go hand in hand. “One of the primary […] Read more
Watch for bacterial leaf streak in your wheat and barley this year
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cereal growers across Alberta should keep bacterial leaf streak in their sights this year. “It’s not a new pathogen, but it’s what I’d call an emerging pathogen,” said provincial researcher Michael Harding. “It’s becoming more and more prevalent and even causing some economic loss in cereals.” Most growers don’t watch for it or manage it […] Read more
Cleanup of orphan wells in the province is ramping up
The Orphan Well Association has picked up the pace when it comes to decommissioning wells
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s orphan well problem hasn’t gone away — but it’s got a whole lot better than it was. “We are going at a high pace of activity for this last year,” said Lars DePauw, executive director of the Orphan Well Association. “We’re probably the most active organization in the closure space in Western Canada, including […] Read more
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