FIRST THING Toso Bozic says type and availability of wood waste is the first consideration, and technology second, when considering biomass heating or power generation
Reading Time: 2 minutes A key source of energy in Alberta is going up in smoke — but Toso Bozic is trying to change that. “Every small, rural county in Alberta right now probably burns on average 1,000 tonnes of wood a year, and it costs them money to do it. Larger counties burn much more than this,” says […] Read moreBioenergy expert urges counties and businesses to consider using wood waste
Firewood sales a way to generate cash while improving woodlot health
QUALITY COUNTS Agroforester Toso Bozic says controlling moisture content is the most important factor in producing high-quality firewood
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re looking for a winter activity, a firewood business will not only generate some extra cash but create a healthier woodlot on your farm, says Toso Bozic. But good marketing is key, says Bozic, bioenergy specialist and agroforester with Alberta Agriculture. While there’s a growing demand for firewood, particularly from acreage owners, it’s important […] Read morePotato producer and feedlot take organic approach
NATURE’S WAY Potato producer says compost made from feedlot manure is an economical way to make crop production part of a natural cycle
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Kasko Cattle Company feedlot is proof that integrating cows and crops can protect the environment while boosting the bottom line. The 14,000-head feedlot near Taber is surrounded by 10 quarter sections owned by Ryan Kasko, and Harold and Chris Perry. While Kasko owns and operates the feedlot, the Perry family’s expertise is in producing […] Read moreBiofuel proponent says burning manure is now viable technology
Reading Time: 2 minutes Is burning your manure better than spreading it or investing in anaerobic digestion? The technology suitable for any livestock operation now exists to combust manure in order to generate power. A company called EcoCombustion Energy Systems says it has solved two problems that have hindered previous efforts to burn manure — handling the high percentage […] Read more
harvesting wood fibre:
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers and foresters don’t often cross paths but over 40 witnessed a woody biomass harvesting demonstration hosted recently by the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) and its local partners in Whitecourt. The participants observed and evaluated three different harvesting technologies at a short-rotation woody fibre bioremediation plantation next to the Whitecourt waste treatment plant. The […] Read more
High Hopes For Province’s New Model Forest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Advocates of sustainable forestry are hailing the creation of Alberta’s newest model forest. “Model forests set the standard of how sustainable forest management should be done,” says Juri Agapow, a forest operations extension specialist who is president of the new Weberville Community Model Forest. “By sustainability, we mean taking all the economic, ecological, and social […] Read more
Landowner Goes Back To The Future Growing Trees
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kent Lamoureux is a popular guy with Canadian Forest Service officials, who hope he’ll inspire other farmers to follow in his footsteps. The Gibbons-area landowner is partnering with the federal agency to turn his 140 acres of farmland located along Highway 37, a short drive north of Edmonton, into a hybrid poplar and willow plantation […] Read more
Birch Dieback Has Researchers Worried
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dead or distressed birch trees are an increasingly common sight in yards throughout Alberta and the Canadian Forest Service wants to know why. The federal agency has recently surveyed the condition of birches in about 50 Alberta communities, as well as communities in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Washington state. The news isn’t good. “What we […] Read more
From Jets To Cattle To Wood Products
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fred Priestley-Wright is one of those individuals who lie in bed at night trying to think of a way to build a better mousetrap, even though he is semi-retired and well into his 70s. The owner of Purple Tree Lumber in Niton Junction is a former engineer who worked on the legendary Avro Arrow fighter […] Read more
Caring For Woodlot Provides Many Benefits
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mike and Lil Leussink are not just sawmill owners, but producers of sustainable woodlot products. They believe that it is possible to both profit from and preserve a natural forest environment, and wish more landowners would think twice before calling in the bulldozers or letting their cattle loose without considering the environmental consequences. The Sundre-area […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
