Reading Time: < 1 minute Four farm groups have joined the province’s big crop commissions under the Team Alberta umbrella. Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, Potato Growers of Alberta, Alberta Seed Growers and the Alberta Beekeepers have joined the four founding members, the wheat, barley, canola and pulse commissions. The idea behind the 2015 creation of Team Alberta is “that working […] Read more
Four farm groups join Team Alberta
Environmental measures to be studied
Reading Time: < 1 minute Old College’s Smart Farm has been given a $440,000 federal grant for research on livestock production — specifically to “test products and technologies for improving environmental sustainability and climate change resiliency in Western Canada.” The money will be used by the college’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production, specifically a 308-acre site at Pitstra Farm […] Read more
Study finds big payoff on wheat research
Reading Time: < 1 minute And a trio of Prairie organizations that fund research say that every dollar they invested generates a return of $33 through varietal improvements. The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (which includes Alberta Wheat) and two other farmer-led research organizations worked with two USask economists on the study. “Our measure is conservative because we don’t include many […] Read more
Where should cereal research dollars go?
Reading Time: < 1 minute After consulting with their elected reps, Alberta’s cereal commissions have refined their research strategies. And while increasing yield came out as the top priority, there was also recognition that genetics and agronomic measures contribute equally to boosting yields, agronomy research specialist Sheri Strydhorst said in a new web post. “Producers indicated a desire to increase […] Read more
STARS gets major donation
Reading Time: < 1 minute STARS’ fleet renewal effort has received a donation of $1.5 million from Birchcliff Energy, which will go towards a new H145 helicopter to serve the Grande Prairie region. The Keep the Fight in Flight campaign launched in 2018 across Western Canada to renew STARS’ aging aircraft fleet of eight BK117s and three AW139s helicopters with […] Read more
Benchmarking for cow-calf producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute An updated AgriProfit$ cow-calf benchmark report is now available, with 2016-20 data from Alberta cow-calf operations. The AgriProfit$ beef program examines the profitability, financial and production efficiencies, and risk-bearing ability of the entire beef operation. It also sheds light on how each production stage contributes to overall profitability. It uses anonymized farm data to generate […] Read more
It’s the Oscars of beef research
Reading Time: < 1 minute Know a great researcher who has helped move the cattle sector forward? The Beef Cattle Research Council is looking for nominations for the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. The award recognizes contributions in a host of areas such as animal health and welfare, environmental stewardship, feed efficiency, and forage production. Anyone […] Read more
Seedpod weevil numbers down in 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cabbage seedpod weevil numbers in 2021 were lower than normal for the fourth year in a row, but canola growers in southern and south-central Alberta should still be on guard. A survey of 225 fields last summer (when canola was at 20 to 25 per cent flower) found that even in the south, numbers were […] Read more
Get a tax credit on checkoffs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Crop commissions are reminding growers that they can get a tax credit for their checkoffs. The Scientific Research and Experimental Development Fund (SR&ED) program is based on the percentage of a checkoff that is used for crop research and development — an amount that varies for each crop. For barley, every $100 in 2021 checkoffs […] Read more
Alberta Beef Producers announces new board
Reading Time: < 1 minute Melanie Wowk and Jason Hale are continuing as chair and vice-chair of Alberta Beef Producers but there are a mix of new faces and returning ones on the organization’s board of directors. The board was slimmed down last year to 12 directors (from 16 previously) after the number of zones was reduced to five (from […] Read more
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