Global french fry giant will work with its potato growers to adopt regenerative ag practices over the next decade
Reading Time: 4 minutes Global french fry giant will work with its potato growers to adopt regenerative ag practices over the next decade
McCain Foods launches aggressive regenerative ag strategy
Demand for on-farm slaughter licences soars after rule change
Consumers, and the pandemic, have been key factors with more than 170 licences issued
Reading Time: 5 minutes Demand for on-farm slaughter licences in Alberta has exploded since last summer when a rule change allowed consumers to buy individual animals and have them processed on the farm. “The day that the regulation changed, my phone just blew up, and it was largely our customers calling because they were so thrilled,” said Blake Hall […] Read more
Bowden pulse-processing plant still a go, says new CEO
Investors are being lined up but some ‘milestones’ need to be met for fractionation facility to proceed
Reading Time: 5 minutes Despite recent setbacks, a proposed pulse-fractionating plant near Bowden is moving ahead under new management. The prospect for the facility was thrown into doubt when W.A. Grain & Pulse Solutions was placed into receivership in April. However, prior to that, the Innisfail company, which had spent five years planning the facility and trying to get it off the ground, […] Read more
Lacombe brewer closes its own carbon loop
Blindman Brewing in Lacombe will be capturing up to 100 tonnes of CO2 every year
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Alberta craft brewery is turning its carbon emissions into cash, thanks to a grant that will allow it to capture and reuse carbon in its brewing process. “We paid $60,000 last year just buying CO2 in bulk,” said Kirk Zembal, co-owner of Blindman Brewing in Lacombe. “If you’re using that much CO2 and producing […] Read more
Agriculture’s big challenges won’t end when the pandemic does
Longstanding problems are still there but we’ve learned lessons that can be applied, say senior officials
Reading Time: 4 minutes The ag sector will require some fresh approaches to old problems if Canadian producers hope to remain competitive in a post-pandemic world. “All of the things we were worried about post-pandemic are exactly the same things we were worried about pre-pandemic,” said Simon Kennedy, deputy minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada. Trade conflicts, […] Read more
Algorithms getting ready to saddle up at feedlots
Calgary tech company says its system can track every cow in a pen and know how it’s doing
Reading Time: 4 minutes Checking each pen for a sick animal at a feedlot is like the world’s worst game of Where’s Waldo — oftentimes the cattle mostly look the same and if you’re not quick enough to spot the sick one, the consequences could cost you that animal. But a new ultra-high-frequency RFID monitoring system is taking the […] Read more
A flood of American cattle is coming north — but the tide may turn
Alberta usually exports cattle but a quarter of a million U.S. cows a year are coming to Western Canada
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta feeder cattle imports have exploded, reaching highs not seen since the early 2000s. But feedlot operators are still struggling to turn a profit, and adding to their woes, the surge in American cattle may soon slow. “We were barely importing any feeders four or five years ago,” said Brian Perillat, manager of Canfax. “We […] Read more
Doubling down: Turning brewery waste into food — and then into feed
First Alex Villeneuve uses spent grain to grow mushrooms, and then it becomes high-protein feed
Reading Time: 3 minutes Five years ago, Alex Villeneuve was growing mushrooms in the closet of his college dorm, trying to turn brewers’ spent grain from local craft breweries into food. Now he’s transforming the waste from his mushroom farm into livestock feed — and it’s gone way beyond closet size. “We’re going to produce around 12,500 pounds of […] Read more
A side order of software aims to help small-scale producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes A local ag-tech startup wants to make it easier for small-scale farmers to connect with — and sell to — their customers. “We’re empowering farmers to go direct or go to wholesale and giving them more tools to do so because of some of the stuff we’ve seen through COVID,” said Shanika Abeysinghe, co-founder of […] Read more
Cut grain inspection costs to stay competitive, say Alberta farm groups
Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley split with Prairie counterparts on Canada Grain Act review
Reading Time: 3 minutes The system that regulates grain standards needs to be modernized — and costly duplication of inspection services eliminated, say Alberta’s cereal commissions. “The Canada Grain Act hasn’t been reviewed since 1971, and from 1971 to 2021, we’ve seen significant changes on the farm,” said Alberta Wheat chair Todd Hames. “It’s an old act, so it’s […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
