Reading Time: 3 minutes The pandemic has created an unwelcome blast from the past for rural Albertans dealing with internet speeds not seen since the days of dial-up. “I can see downtown Calgary from my window right now, and I feel like I’m in the sticks,” said Shelagh Blatz, who lives near Priddis. “I’m so close to Calgary, but […] Read more
Rationing internet a pandemic side-effect
Streaming a dream in rural Alberta as download speeds slow to a trickle
Ag industry a potential ‘bright spot,’ post-pandemic
Agriculture could lead economic rebuild, ATB official says
Alberta’s ag sector will be key in rebuilding the province’s economy once the pandemic is over, says the director of research for economics at ATB Financial. “Overall, I think one of the bright spots in a really dark economic situation in the province is our agriculture and agri-food sector,” Rob Roach said. “It’s still producing. […] Read more
Alberta farmland values likely to be unaffected by COVID-19
FCC farmland report doesn’t account for the pandemic, but impact on land values should be ‘minimal’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s farmland values have been rising at a slower pace for nearly a decade, and the pandemic isn’t likely to change that. “I would expect that impacts are going to be minimal,” said J.P. Gervais, chief agricultural economist for Farm Credit Canada (FCC). “We still have a very limited supply of available land for sale. […] Read more
Don’t try to ‘play the odds’ this growing season
Many farmers still taking unnecessary risks, says Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association chair
Reading Time: 2 minutes Spring is a time of hope and Randy Schmitz’s hope is that Alberta farmers will slow down a little as they begin a new growing season. Rollovers, run-overs, and being pinned or struck by a machine component are the leading causes of agriculture-related injuries and fatalities, said Schmitz, chairman of the Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association. […] Read more
Focus on production this year — not prices — say market watchers
Farmers are being advised to have a marketing plan in place, but otherwise focus on production
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a good time to take a break from chasing prices, say market watchers. “This year, more than most I’ve seen in recent years, could be a good break for growers who have stretched their rotations to try and grow the crop they feel is most economically advantageous,” said Mike Jubinville, senior markets analyst with […] Read more
Keeping up is hard to do during these trying times
But here are some key information sources and some of the many news stories dealing with the pandemic
Reading Time: 4 minutes Even if you weren’t calving or getting ready to seed — and had good internet — it would be hard to keep up with all the developments affecting your farm or ranch during the pandemic. Here is a partial list of advisories and new stories at press time (March 31). Government The provincial government has […] Read more
Province announces new ag research agency
The new Results Driven Agriculture Research will fund both pure and applied research for the crop and livestock sectors in Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s back to the future for ag research in Alberta. After holding a series of consultations across the province as well as an online survey, the provincial government has created a new organization that “takes the best parts of previous research models.” That’s a reference to two former agencies — the Alberta Livestock and Meat […] Read more
‘There’s no better feeling’ — distillery makes, gives away, hand sanitizer
Distilleries have switched to sanitizer production and Medicine Hat company is even giving it away
Reading Time: 4 minutes Local distilleries are shifting their production lines away from their typical spirits to something that will lift spirits in the midst of the pandemic — hand sanitizer by the still-full. “We’ve shut down our normal operations at our distillery and we’ve changed over to just producing hand sanitizer,” said Andy Schmunk, owner of Grit City […] Read more
‘Northern Farmer’ reaps a bumper crop of YouTube followers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tyson Kucheruk never expected to be internet famous when he started his YouTube channel in 2006. “Back then, it was pretty much just for fun — take a video, upload it, that was pretty much it,” said the High Prairie producer known as Northern Farmer on the popular video-sharing site. “But later on, we gained […] Read more
Thrust into the spotlight, the farm sector shines during pandemic
Food supply chain does something extraordinary in unprecedented crisis — keeps things running ‘mostly normally’
Reading Time: 4 minutes Never in our lifetimes has the ordinary been so extraordinary. Take, for example, the simple act of delivering a load of grain. The whole business of receiving, grading, and getting the paperwork to the farmer or truck driver is hands-on work, usually done in close quarters. So you not only have to be fastidious about […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
