Reading Time: 3 minutes Multi-drug resistance to disease-causing bacteria is quickly becoming a complete “game changer” that could cripple the cattle industry’s ability to manage common bovine diseases. “We are really slamming into the end of the antibiotic era,” said Dr. Trisha Dowling, a professor of veterinary pharmacology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. “I’ve got 24 different […] Read more
Antimicrobial resistance in cattle means big changes coming
Resistance crisis even has drug companies calling for producers to change their ways
Reporter’s Notebook: Foolish footwear choices — and other crop walk lessons
Reading Time: 2 minutes I learned a lot on my first crop walk four years ago. No, I can’t remember who presented or what they spoke about, but I learned a lesson that day that has carried me through every crop walk since. There I was, standing at the edge of a field just outside of Lacombe, a few […] Read more
Outstanding Young Farmers creates cross-country connections
Reading Time: 2 minutes It can be tough to find your fit as an up-and-coming farmer — that’s where Outstanding Young Farmers comes in. “I always looked at Outstanding Young Farmers as a graduate program for people past 4-H,” said regional chairperson Steven Snider. “This is a great place for that generation to connect across all sectors.” The 35-year-old […] Read more
Consumers driving changes in the food sector
Transparency in food labelling and no GMOs are among the top consumer food trends
Reading Time: 2 minutes The relationship between consumers and their food is no longer ‘from field to fork,’ says the former VP of innovation for Loblaws. “It’s actually from fork to field,” said Paul Uys, who spoke at the Conference on Food Innovation in late May. “Consumers are increasingly driving the food supply chain. It’s all about connecting with […] Read more
Organic is booming — and the push is on to get more growers
Demand for organic grain is growing at a sizzling pace and the sector fears it will lose market share if it can’t up production
Reading Time: 4 minutes Steven Snider was just 16 years old when he realized conventional farming wasn’t for him. “I was spraying a wild oat herbicide on a field, and I got drift poisoning,” said the Edberg-area farmer and owner of Little Red Hen Mills. “For three days, I was sick as a dog. That kind of changed my […] Read more
The money’s good. But is organic for you?
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s money to be made in organics, says the executive director of Organic Alberta. “From a business perspective, organic production does make sense,” said Becky Lipton. “If you’re looking on how to expand your operation, organics do provide a lot of opportunities on that end.” While yields can be substantially lower — as much as […] Read more
NOT WORKING: Alberta’s food processing industry needs a big fix
If the province wants a vibrant food industry, it will ‘have to do things differently,’ says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s food-processing industry faces a grim future without a “disruptive intervention,” says an agri-food industry veteran. “Current approaches toward innovation and growth — particularly in the food industry here in Alberta — are not working,” said Jerry Bouma of Toma & Bouma Management Consultants. “If we seek success and want to grow this industry, we’re […] Read more
For producers, it’s wait and pray time for rain
Pastures and hayfields have been hardest hit but AFSC analyst still expects a ‘slightly below-average crop’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The conditions across Alberta can be summed up in three words: It’s awfully dry. “As of Tuesday, we’ve been getting some moisture here in central Alberta, which has been a nice break, but I don’t know how general that moisture has been,” AFSC risk analyst James Wright said in an interview June 12. “We haven’t […] Read more
The damage to crops is done — but how much worse will it get?
It’s not a writeoff yet, but recovery potential is limited and a late harvest seems inevitable, says crop expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes After one of the “driest Mays on record,” producers across the Prairies are wondering how their crops are going to fare this growing season. It’s not looking good. “The crops are going to be substantially smaller than they have been over the past few years,” Bruce Burnett, CWB crop and weather specialist, said in an […] Read more
3D fencing keeps wildlife at bay
Unlike typical fencing, 3D fencing uses different heights, widths, and depths to make it harder for wildlife to navigate and jump
Reading Time: 2 minutes After a long Alberta winter, farmers weren’t the only ones happy to see spring. “I’ve had a lot of issues with elk and deer going through here,” said Lawrence Andruchiw, who farms near Spirit River. “When the plants are first coming up in the spring, they pull the whole plant right out. I decided I […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
