Spring is a busy time for bumblebee queens. After emerging from hibernation, their to-do list includes making nests, laying eggs, and keeping their larvae warm and fed. It’s physiologically demanding, and the stakes are high: the success of the colony depends on a queen. In a recent study, researchers at the University of California Riverside […] Read more
The first Breakfast on the Dairy Farm event of the season drew more than 700 people to the Van der Gun Dairy on June 23. In addition to a free breakfast, there was a bouncy house, face painting, a petting zoo, and barn tours. There are two more Breakfast on the Dairy Farm events this […] Read more
New-generation hopper cars are shorter, carry more grain, and are faster to load and unload
CP Rail says it will spend more than $500 million on new high-capacity grain hopper cars. The company announced last month it has ordered 1,000 new hopper cars and expects to see more than 500 of them in service by the end of the year. “These new rail cars will revitalize our fleet,” said CP […] Read more
Alberta producers offer the wisdom of their experience — and their gains — from high legume pastures
If you’re fearful that seeding pasture with legumes will be a waste of time and money, several Alberta producers have some tips for you. A new video from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry features producers offering their advice — some of it hard earned — on topics such as seedbed preparation, nutrients, and weed control. Having […] Read more
Slips and trips are commonplace ingredients in a large number of workplace accidents
Working safely with equipment gets a lot of attention — and rightly so — when it comes to preventing accidents on the farm. But there are also major hazards lurking by your feet, and this, too, is something you should think about before starting any building project on the farm. Falls account for one in […] Read more
The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association is again surveying its members on whether registered veterinary technologists should be allowed to conduct beef cattle pregnancy detection using ultrasound. In 2012, the association’s food animal advisory committee recommended such a move, but ABVMA members were not supportive. Last year, the committee again recommended allowing veterinary technologists to use […] Read more
Hay yards are magnets for elk and deer, but 3D fencing can be a lower-cost way to keep them out
A long winter coupled with a late and dry start to spring has stretched feed supplies across Alberta. Which means any loss of hay to wildlife last winter was especially painful. To avoid that grief — or at least lessen it — many producers on the Prairies have turned to three-dimensional fencing. Unlike typical fencing, […] Read more
A trio of young Albertans were medalists at the recent Canada-Wide Science Fair. About 2,500 students from across the country compete to get into the fair, with just over 400 chosen for the event, which was held in Ottawa this year. Three Albertans won bronze at the intermediate level — Lara and Liesl Stewart along […] Read more
An equine infectious anemia (EIA) working group is proposing improvements to the current program for controlling the federally reportable disease. One of its key recommendations is that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency implement mandatory EIA testing for certain movements of horses in Western Canada. EIA can be difficult to detect, as loss of co-ordination may […] Read more
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to figure out what has gone wrong with a key component of its newly launched GOES-17 weather satellite. The satellite has a high-resolution camera called the Advanced Baseline Imager that monitors things such as cloud formation, ocean dynamics, and vegetative growth. But the cooling system that is […] Read more
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