Producers need to more closely mimic nature to avoid long-term soil health issues, says USDA conservationist
Got cows? On your cropland? Jay Fuhrer certainly hopes so. The soil health specialist believes cropland and large ruminants are a natural fit. He advocates turning animals out of the barn and onto the land whenever possible. “Soils, plants, and animals evolved together,” he said at the recent Dairy Farmers of Manitoba conference. “And we […] Read more
Trade deal is a ‘non-story’ on the other side of the Atlantic
The man on the other end of the phone is confused. “I have not heard of this before,” Marek Nowak says slowly. “I am of no help for this.” He’s been asked about the impact the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement — commonly called CETA — might have on Polish dairy farmers such as himself. […] Read more
Canned chickpea water substitutes for egg whites in making macarons
While Canada grows copious amounts of pulses, most are exported. Chefs Geoffroy Dextraze and Chef Chris Kopp of Winnipeg’s Prairie Ink Restaurant and Bakery share their experiences developing new pulse recipes for the provincial launch of the International Year of Pulses. The event was put on by the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers and attended by […] Read more
Rural communities in many parts of the Prairies have joined the effort to alleviate the plight of refugees escaping war-torn Syria. Small Manitoba towns such as Altona, Winkler and Morden are doing their part to make room by welcoming seven Syrian families – a total of 45 people – into their communities. The area has a […] Read more
Crops Logistics Working Group wants penalties for not delivering rail cars and meaningful sharing of data
Ongoing assessment and better protection for small shippers are two ways to fix the grain transportation system. Those are two of eight recommendations made by the Crop Logistics Working Group as part of a review of the Canada Transportation Act. More on the Alberta Farmer: Eight fixes for an ailing grain shipping system The working group […] Read more
Here are excerpts from the Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG) on its eight recommendations to improve the grain-handling and transportation system. The full report can be found here. Recommendation 1: Enhance Transparency in the Rail Market CLWG members request that the government encourage CN and CP to accurately report car order fulfilment data in a […] Read more
Energy-dense forage could present a viable alternative to feedlots in some instances
It’s time for producers to take an annual look at a perennial issue. “What we need to do is get away from our conventional thinking,” Clayton Robins said during a seminar. Annual forage mixes can play a key role in both beef, dairy and sheep production, said the beef producer and former Agriculture Canada research […] Read more
One U.K.-based researcher believes the real culprit behind colony collapse is inexperience, poor weather, mites and disease — not neonicotinoids
A Syngenta bee researcher told the recent GrowCanada conference neonicotinoids are being unfairly blamed for declining bee populations. “The risk to bee populations from neonicotinoids as they are currently used and used according to the label, is low,” Helen Thompson, a Syngenta bee researcher, told attendees. The U.K.-based scientist said studies used in the European […] Read more
Tractors made with hemp-based panels have hit the fields as Versatile tests out new technologies
Farmers are one step closer to growing their own tractor parts. Buhler Versatile has begun field testing tractors with a number of resin-infused hemp and agave biofibre composite parts manufactured by the Eastside Group of Companies in Winnipeg. So far, the results from field tests in Canada and the United States have been positive. Now […] Read more
A former head of the CFIA says consumers shouldn’t know whether or not foods contain genetically engineered crops because the label is akin to a ‘skull and crossbones’
The old adage the consumer is always right doesn’t hold much cache for Ron Doering. In fact it doesn’t hold any. The Ottawa-based lawyer and former president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency spoke to members of the biotechnology industry during a recent GrowCanada conference in Calgary, urging them to continue to fight consumer demands […] Read more
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