Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta farm groups are disappointed by Ottawa’s decision to cut back on research in the province, says the head of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture. “Our group sort of views it as (government) saying one thing and doing something else,” said Lynn Jacobson. Universities can only do so much, and the research focus of private […] Read more
Alberta Federation of Agriculture criticizes ag research cutbacks
Effort to revitalize beef industry wins additional support
Stung by criticism of complacency and drift, beef sector has asked three industry veterans to lead the effort to create a new and better approach
Reading Time: 2 minutes Industry reps in Central Canada have joined their western counterparts in endorsing a strategy to revitalize the country’s beef industry. The trio leading the effort — Kim McConnell, John Kolk and Dave Andrews — followed up a successful presentation of their five-point strategy at a summit in Calgary last month with an equally successful one […] Read moreOlson high on possibilities for further trade with Kazakhstan
Among the deals struck on a recent trade mission was the creation of an agriculture school and a $3-million deal to export Canadian purebred cattle to Kazakhstan
Reading Time: < 1 minute A trade mission in Kazakhstan has yielded good results, officials say. “The industry people who I’ve been travelling with have told me just about every day they’ve been here they’ve had very productive meetings,” Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson said in a media conference call from Kazakhstan. One of the deals will see the Canadian […] Read moreAlberta Pork urges hog producers to speak outon new animal care code
The draft Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs would severely limit the use of gestation stalls and require producers to use group housing
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Pork is calling on producers to speak out against a proposed animal care code that would severely limit the use of gestation stalls. “Clearly everyone has figured out already that this thing is full of landmines — that is why we’re telling you that you need to respond in this public comment period,” Alberta […] Read moreFarm-to-farm traceability next step for pork sector
Every pig will need ‘a passport’ to leave a farm as officials begin to track all pig movements within the province
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm-to-farm traceability requirements are coming for Alberta pork producers. “This whole program was predicated on what we can do in Alberta from a traceability perspective that might help the industry deal with future animal disease outbreaks and food safety-related issues,” said Ron Axelson, a traceability consultant working with Alberta Pork, which is contracted by the […] Read moreResearch aims to find alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers are hoping a new $300,000 research project will help find alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters in livestock production. “The reason why we’re working on this topic is because of mounting public pressure regarding the use of antibiotics in livestock production,” said Douglas Inglis, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The first step […] Read more
Cost of producing bison being studied
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Bison Producers of Alberta has teamed up with its Saskatchewan counterpart to study the cost of bison production. “The overall goal is obviously to improve the economics in bison ranching by getting information out there a guy can use,” said Thomas Ackermann, chair of the Alberta organization. The goal is to benchmark a range […] Read more
Survey examines changing attitudes about GM crops amongst grain farmers
A growing number of grain farmers in Quebec says they need GM crops to be profitable and that they are good for the environment
Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec grain producers are becoming more reliant on genetically modified crops — and less worried about that. That’s one of the findings of a survey done by a Laval University professor. When Gail West first surveyed grain farmers in the province in 2003, two-thirds of them said they were dependent on GM crops. When she […] Read moreProject brings ranchers’ perspectives and history to city dwellers
Reading Time: 2 minutes A University of Lethbridge professor is hoping to narrow the rural-urban divide by capturing real-life stories from the country to city folk. Carol Williams and a team of students collected stories of ranchers from southern Alberta’s foothills thanks to a grant from the Alberta Rural Development Network. “I just wanted to make a modest attempt, […] Read more
Farm groups welcome plan to add more Alberta trade offices
Reading Time: 2 minutes The province wants to increase export opportunities for Alberta businesses, including agricultural ones, by opening six new trade offices and creating an export council for medium and small businesses. The new offices in China, Singapore, India, Brazil, Illinois and California were “selected to benefit the major industries in Alberta and of course agriculture is among […] Read more
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