Reading Time: 4 minutes Mary and Roelof van Bentham were looking forward to a year of learning and creating connections when they were named Outstanding Young Farmers for Alberta. But just over a month later, COVID-19 hit. “That’s one of the things that made the pandemic really hard — we’ve had a hard time connecting with this group that […] Read more
It’s a great network — even when you can’t meet in person
Last year’s Outstanding Young Farmers eager to finally get into the swing of things
Heatwave wreaks havoc on Alberta crops
Governments are rushing to help but fears are mounting as the crisis grows
Reading Time: 6 minutes July’s devastating heatwave has destroyed crops and pastures across Alberta, leaving producers in all corners of the province wondering what their options are at this point of the growing season. “It’s been pretty hard,” said Valerie Ehrenholz, who runs a mixed operation near Barrhead with her father. “I haven’t been farming that long — the […] Read more
Alberta crop insurance payout could exceed $1 billion
It’s too early for accurate estimates but the scale of the disaster is massive, says provincial crop insurer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop insurance payouts could top a billion dollars for the devastating drought that has hit much of Alberta. “We collected about $600 million in premiums this year, so we’re looking potentially at payments twice that amount,” said Darryl Kay, CEO of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC.) “It’s really early yet, so it’s hard to speculate […] Read more
Marvel or foo-foo dust? No verdict yet on biostimulants
Many products purport to boost plant health and yield but objective evidence needed, says researcher
Reading Time: 3 minutes The jury is still out on biostimulants. “Hopefully in two or three years, we’ll have a better recommendation and strategy for these things, but right now, it feels like there are more questions than answers,” said Mike Gretzinger, research co-ordinator at Farming Smarter. The recent buzz around biostimulants — a variety of products that boost […] Read more
Study finds major gap in Alberta’s valued-added strategy
A supporting cast of contract processors key to developing plant protein-processing sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes A lack of fractionation plants isn’t the only thing holding back development of a plant protein-processing sector in Alberta. Like fractionation, the province is falling behind on toll processors, companies that provide specialty processing and manufacturing for other companies. “We need all that toll processing in Alberta in order to get the secondary and tertiary […] Read more
Prospects for ag research in Alberta still up in the air
New research agency is finding its feet but uncertainty abounds
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta’s new research funding body has made some progress over the last six months — but it’s still very much a work in progress. “It’s been a pretty hectic time for them with lots of growing pains, and there’s still lots of room for improvement, but we are getting support and hoping for improvements over […] Read more
Having a field day: Everyone’s excited about return of in-person learning
Remember when you’d leave home to attend events and get together with experts, friends and peers?
Reading Time: 5 minutes After a year of too many Zoom meetings to count, ag organizations across the province are gearing up for a summer of in-field learning. “I’m so excited — there’s only so many online meetings that you can stay engaged with,” said Jamie Puchinger, assistant manager of Farming Smarter. “I cannot wait to get back out […] Read more
Country-of-origin labelling discussion re-emerges in U.S.
Some American ranchers are ‘making a lot of noise’ but odds of a return to COOL law seem slim
Reading Time: 4 minutes Mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) is gone, but there’s a new effort by American beef producers wanting to bring it back. “It’s still hugely on our radar,” said Alberta Beef Producers chair Melanie Wowk. “When COOL was first instituted in 2003, it was costing us about $600 million a year, so I think you could say […] Read more
Producers aren’t toasting tax change for small distillers
Province changes rule so small-scale distillers no longer have to source grain from Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes A provincial government decision to allow small distillers to source grain from outside Alberta is having “unintended consequences” on the province’s cereal growers. “In any value-added strategy, you need to have a focus on acquiring your product from the local producers,” said Tom Steve, general manager of Alberta Wheat and Barley. “So if we’re going […] Read more
The crush is coming — will canola growers roll the rotation dice?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Shortening rotations to meet demand from a spate of new crush plants will backfire, say experts Prairie canola growers will need to up production to meet the growing demand from a rash of new crush plants in Saskatchewan. But they won’t get there by sacrificing sustainability, says the Canola Council of Canada. “For us, it’s […] Read more
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