Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers know that earthworms are good for the soil — now they’re being used to process liquid waste from dairies, hog operations, and slaughterhouses. The process not only provides faster treatment than using lagoons, but also significantly reduces concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and therefore the need for as much farmland to dispose of […] Read more
Waste not, want not — a different way to treat farm effluent
Chilean biowaste filtering system is an alternative to lagoons in treating liquid waste from dairies
Gone from the skyline, parts of Prairie sentinels live on
More than 5,000 wooden elevators are gone but some of their beautiful old-growth timbers survive
Reading Time: 2 minutes They’re mostly gone now, but parts of some of them will live on. Alberta’s first wooden grain elevator was constructed in 1895 and at the peak in the 1930s, there were nearly 1,800 of them. Today, there are only 88 left, more falling victim to demolition every year. More than 5,000 wooden grain elevators across […] Read more
Alberta’s most abundant tree species under threat
The reasons aren’t known for certain but the widespread loss of poplars has significant implications for farming
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you noticed that the poplar trees in your yard and in your bush are dying? You’re not alone. Alberta is experiencing a significant dieback of one of its most abundant species, and while some landowners are skeptical of the cause, evidence points to climate change as one possible contributor. A massive poplar dieback is […] Read more
Timber is a winner for Caroline cattle producer
Custom milling trees from his woodlot pays better than just selling raw logs, says Will Vohs
Reading Time: 4 minutes Cruise the countryside in certain parts of Alberta, and there are bright-yellow signs stapled to power poles advertising that someone is ‘Looking For Wood.’ After reading what Caroline-area farmer Will Vohs has discovered, landowners may want to think twice before signing over their woodlots too quickly. That’s because Vohs says he can manufacture a 12-inch […] Read more
Alberta duo spots opportunity lying beneath their (horses’) feet
Wood shavings isn’t the most exciting product but horses love it and Alberta produces it in abundance
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Sherwood Park-area mother and son knew horses love wood shavings for bedding, and when they discovered that Alberta sawmills generate an abundant supply, they saw an opportunity to play matchmaker. Donna and Alex von Hauff, who operate Strathcona Ventures, have since expanded into a variety of health, dust control, and non-wood-related products for both […] Read more
Family sawmill a link to the pioneer days of Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s well known that the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Revenant” was filmed in southern Alberta. What’s not is that a lot of building materials used to create the West of 1820s came from the Brooks Sawmill near Cochrane. The film is one of several westerns the sawmill has supplied among its highly eclectic client list. […] Read more
Alberta project turns manure into liquid gold
Researcher says liquid composting of manure is a viable on-farm process whose time has come
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nick Savidov doesn’t mince words when he talks about relying solely on synthetic fertilizer to feed the planet. “The fact is that if we don’t learn how to recycle nutrients and water, we are doomed,” said the senior research scientist at the Bio-industrial Opportunities Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We will start dying off […] Read more
Call it a win-win: Curbing pollution with chicken manure
Scientists have found a type of micro-algae that gobbles up greenhouse gas emissions — and it has a taste for nutrient-rich chicken manure, too
Reading Time: 3 minutes Poultry manure and that annoying green slime which grows in our lakes each summer could hold the key to helping the province’s oilsands mining companies and coal-fired power plants clean up their act, while producing a valuable commodity in the process. Researchers have discovered a strain of naturally occurring micro-algae that can scrub 100 per […] Read more
Patents boost Alberta biogas company’s plans for expansion
Himark BioGas can now let potential clients independently assess the engineering of its leading-edge technology
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been in the works for about a decade, but North American and international patents have been issued to Alberta-based Himark BioGas International for its unique biogas production technology. It’s a major step for the company, which was created to find a way to use manure from Highland Feeders as a biogas feedstock. “It’s part […] Read more
Sludge a success story for Whitecourt-area farmers
Reading Time: 4 minutes They say great ideas start with the planting of a seed — and that’s precisely what happened after employees at Alberta Newsprint Company noticed tomato plants growing in a pile of pulp sludge. The result is a ‘superfertilizer’ that area farmers can’t get enough of. The phone at the Whitecourt plant rings off the hook […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
