Reading Time: 4 minutes The clock is ticking on whether Indian officials will reverse an edict requiring Canadian pulse shipments to be fumigated at the port of origin rather than at their destination. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and a delegation from Pulse Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were in India at the beginning of March to […] Read more
Pulse sector roiled by India’s fumigation edict
Science says our pulses are safe — but industry officials are preparing a Plan B if India won’t back down
Have your say on employment standards and labour relations regulations
Two reports — one for employment standards, one for labour relations — will be available for public comment until April 3
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers have asked to have their say on proposed new workplace safety rules — and the provincial government says they will now have their chance. The NDP government is asking Albertans to give their views on two reports on proposed employment standards and labour relations recommendations. Feedback will be accepted until April 3 online, […] Read more
Taking a seat at the table to share agriculture’s story
Reading Time: 4 minutes The picturesque old barn conjured up stereotypical images of an old-fashioned farm, but the conversation inside was all about the modern world of agriculture. The Seat at our Table event in the old white barn near Olds brought 150 people — mostly millennials — from across the province on Canadian Agriculture Day. But the goal […] Read more
Is a grain transportation remedy finally on its way?
A new rail bill is due this spring. Will Ottawa find a fix for long-standing issues or will it be more of the same old?
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new rail transport bill is on the horizon, but it’s still too soon to say whether that will bring about meaningful change for Canadian farmers. “We’ll see what comes out in the new rail bill — how far they’re willing to go on this,” said Steve Pratte, manager of policy development for the Canadian […] Read more
The last big challenge for drones
Advanced technology to spot disease, pest, and health issues early on is already here — but using that data still has many challenges
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sure, drones are cool and all. But when it comes to your farm, it’s all about the data they gather — and figuring out how to use all that info. “Ultimately, that is what’s going to change the way we manage our crops, by giving us better information about them,” Markus Weber, president of Edmonton-based […] Read more
Inputs and iron: Relentless price hikes squeeze producers
When crop prices soared, so did costs — and they stayed high even as farm revenues fell back to earth
Reading Time: 6 minutes Record-high grain and oilseed prices are a speck in the rear-view mirror, but they’ve left a legacy of higher costs. “When we see higher grain prices, we can expect to pay higher inputs,” said Scott Keller, a mixed grain farmer near New Norway. “All the companies selling crop inputs look at farmers’ margins and then […] Read more
Fusarium head blight infections hit record high in 2016
Almost one-quarter of cereal samples from 2016 have tested positive for fusarium head blight — a 10 per cent jump from 2014’s previous record high
Reading Time: 5 minutes Fusarium head blight continued its devastating march across Alberta last summer, and shows no sign of slowing down. “It’s become something that’s well established in the southern part of the province, and the situation is starting to change elsewhere in the province, especially central and northern Alberta,” said Kelly Turkington, a research scientist with Agriculture […] Read more
Want to give back? Mentors wanted for female agri-food entrepreneurs
The Success for Women in Agri-Food program is searching for mentors across the province willing to share their experience
Reading Time: 4 minutes When faced with a problem at work, most people head straight to their boss’s office for advice. But what happens when you are the boss? That was Bryanna Kumpula’s challenge when she became executive director at the Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta four years ago. And when that happened, she turned to her mentor […] Read more
Agriculture Day event aims to bond producers and consumers over dinner
Event to be held on Feb. 16 at Willow Lane Barn
Reading Time: 3 minutes Great conversations often happen over a great meal, and that’s just what the organizers of A Seat at our Table are banking on for their upcoming Canada Agriculture Day event in Olds. “In typical agricultural fashion, we have a tendency to present ourselves through facts, and the average consumer isn’t going to get that — […] Read more
They’re crushing it! And that’s a good thing
Canola crushers are enjoying hefty margins, but that’s actually good news for farmers — especially given the poor-quality crop
Reading Time: 3 minutes Poor conditions at harvest have been good for Western Canada’s crushers, which are soaking up canola that would otherwise be hard to market. Weekly canola crush levels hit a record high of just over 200,000 tonnes the first week in January for the second time ever. While crush levels dipped the following week, the total […] Read more
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