Reading Time: 3 minutes City slicker’ Billi Miller never expected to be a farmwife. “I wasn’t raised on a farm — my background was very different from the tradition and stability that existed here,” said Miller, an ex-government worker who now operates a fourth-generation farm near Lloydminster with her husband and two daughters. “But I found myself transplanted to […] Read more
Alberta author profiles the unsung heroes of the family farm — farmwives
No question about it — pulses are hot, hot, hot
Yellow pea and lentil seed haven’t been available for months, and some see pulse acres soaring by 20 per cent or more
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pulse acres are set to rise in 2016 — but the multimillion-dollar question is: How much? “Realistically, we could see a 20 to 25 per cent increase in acres just based on seed sales and the usage of inoculant,” said Mark Olson, pulse crops unit head at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We know from what […] Read more
Grain transport problems solved? Not quite
Mandated minimums for grain movement are set to expire this summer — but Alberta crop industry leaders say they’re still needed
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s railways moved a record amount of grain for the 2014-15 crop year — but any improvements were mostly thanks to luck, not fixes to the system, say users. “A lot of the same issues that were evident in 2013 and 2014 are still there, but we’ve had a good run based on excellent weather, […] Read more
Want your pastures to handle a drought year? Do things the ‘redneck’ way
A handy mnemonic for this ranching method is ‘grass’ — graze period, rest period, animal impact, and stock density
Reading Time: 3 minutes The first thing ‘redneck ranchers’ plant is a post. “That’s why we call it ‘redneck ranching’ — we definitely don’t work in the same manner as the conventional method,” said Amber Kenyon, who operates Greener Pastures Ranching with husband Steve and their four children. “You need to start putting fences in and moving the animals […] Read more
Production is ‘sexy,’ but finance should be the focus
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want to be a successful rancher, your focus shouldn’t be on your production practices. “Out of all the things we do on the ranch, production practices are one of the most interesting, sexy things that people want to hear about — but it’s not the most important thing that we do,” said Amber […] Read more
Bison producers can’t keep up with ever-increasing demand
Demand for Canadian bison is beginning to outstrip supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes The story about bison prices this year is “a damn good one.” “When we talk to marketers, the question we ask is, ‘How frequently are you shorting your customers?’ And they say, ‘Very frequently,’” said Terry Kremeniuk, executive director of the Canadian Bison Association. “That just demonstrates how strong the demand is out there.” The […] Read more
Oil companies bucking their commitments
Farmers are struggling to get oil companies to pay their leases and complete reclamation work on abandoned wells
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s a wet spot originating from an oil well in Anthony Bruder’s pasture that his cows won’t drink from. “I’ve seen cows walk up to it, sniff it, and then walk a half-mile to the other end of the field to drink from the lake,” said Bruder, who farms near Twin Butte. “If the cows […] Read more
A rising tide: Canada leap frogs U.S. in wheat exports
It’s been decades since that last happened, but some predict our share of the global market will continue to rise
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada is exporting more wheat than the U.S. for the first time in decades. After decades of playing second fiddle to its southern neighbour, the low Canadian dollar and other factors have this country’s exports edging ahead in what some industry observers consider a new trend. Last crop year, Canada exported 23.9 million tonnes of […] Read more
You’ll love this year’s prices — and next year’s yield bump
Studies have found crops grown after pulses have some eye-popping yield increases and other benefits, too
Reading Time: 3 minutes Record-high prices have many producers taking a closer look at pulse crops — but the full benefit may not be seen until next year. “There are some real advantages to crops that follow pulses in the rotation,” said Mark Olson, unit head for pulse crops at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “It’s widely documented in research […] Read more
Producers need to banish bad habits as margins become slimmer
Producers need to sock away some cash as we head into a downward cycle
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the tale of the ant and the grasshopper, only the forward-thinking ant survived — and the same may be true for Canadian farmers as they head into the next downward cycle. “This next business cycle could potentially do to grain farmers like BSE did to cattle operators,” said Kim Gerencser, president of Growing Farm […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
