Reading Time: 8 minutes Getting ready for the new baby and celebrating the one newly born. Having coffee with your spouse. Checking out some four-legged farm visitors. Getting a bit goofy on social media. Pausing to appreciate the arrival of spring. On farms across Alberta, special moments abound during these stressful and unprecedented times. And they are worth celebrating. […] Read more
Life and its blessings continue during these troubled times
Little joys have new meaning and family time has taken on new significance on farms across the province
Thicker international borders feared from pandemic
Economics, nationalism, and food security fears are making trade less predictable and secure
Reading Time: 3 minutes The economic fallout from the pandemic could put fresh wind into the sails of protectionists, say industry officials here. “Generally speaking, the sense is that protectionist policies and measures are here to stay,” said Greg Cherewyk, president of Pulse Canada. “There will be a point where we revert back to a more or less normal […] Read more
Wet fall and late spring a recipe for increased weed risk
Pre-seed burn-off will depend on what’s popping up in your fields, so scout early, says weed scientist
Reading Time: 2 minutes You won’t hear weeds complaining about the weather — which adds up to another headache for producers. “Because we were so dry last spring, there were quite a few fields that didn’t get a pre-seed burn-off because there was nothing growing yet. I don’t think that’s going to be the same circumstance this year,” federal […] Read more
Orphan well cleanup gets $1.7 billion from Ottawa
Move to deal with long-standing problem welcomed but bid to use sites for solar arrays may get lost in shuffle
Reading Time: 5 minutes A federal cash injection of $1.7 billion will help clean up Alberta’s mess of orphan oil and gas wells. “We were already planning to have a very busy 2020, and this is going to help us continue doing the work that we’re doing,” said Lars De Pauw, executive director of the Orphan Well Association. The […] Read more
Demand soars as consumers find new appreciation for local food
Consumers are stocking up these days and increasingly looking towards local food producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Demand for local food products has exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve seen a very big spike in interest and demand for our products,” said Steph Campbell, who owns and operates Grazed Right, a grass-fed beef company, with husband Ben near Calgary. “People are panic buying, and that’s spilling over into the […] Read more
Hook space at a premium in small rural abattoirs
Pandemic has some producers considering selling direct to consumers
Reading Time: 4 minutes The phone hasn’t stopped ringing at Alberta Prairie Meats since the news broke that Cargill’s beef-processing plant was being temporarily shut down. “The minute that the Cargill situation was announced, our phones started ringing off the hook,” said Jim Johnson, who owns and operates the abattoir in Duchess. “We finally got so inundated with orders […] Read more
Producers need $35 a hog immediately, says Alberta Pork
Sector facing losses of $675 million and ‘desperately needs a lifeline’ in the face of plunging prices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s pork producers need government aid of $35 a head just to keep their heads above water in the short term, say industry officials. “The hog industry desperately needs a lifeline,” said Alberta Pork chair Brent Moen. “Our producers are drowning in a sea of red ink, and we have our federal and provincial bureaucrats […] Read more
In these troubled times, ag shows it has a ‘really bright future ahead’
The sector won’t have to ‘restart’ and it’s shown the world it can be counted on, says economist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s agriculture industry could prove to be the silver lining to these COVID-19 storm clouds once the sky clears again. “There’s no doubt about it — the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting Alberta really hard,” Rob Roach, director of research for ATB’s economics team, said in an April 8 interview. “We are in a recessionary situation, […] Read more
The price of farmland likely to be unaffected by pandemic
The formerly red-hot market has cooled considerably, but the price of land isn’t getting cheaper
Reading Time: 2 minutes The pandemic seems to be impacting almost everything, but not the price of farmland. “I would expect that impacts are going to be minimal,” said J.P. Gervais, vice-president and chief agricultural economist for FCC. “We still have a very limited supply of available land for sale. That was the case in 2019. It was the […] Read more
Pandemic pushes rural internet speeds to the breaking point
Notoriously slow already, rural internet has struggled with increased demand during the pandemic — and that isn’t likely to change any time soon
Reading Time: 6 minutes The internet on Monika Benoit’s northern Alberta farm was bad enough before the pandemic. Now it’s almost “non-existent.” “We sigh a lot,” said Benoit, who farms with husband Mike near High Prairie. “Even when there’s not a pandemic, we have internet issues. But with the isolation and social distancing protocols we’re supposed to be following, […] Read more
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