grain sample dish

Learn the ins and outs of grain grading with ‘Making the Grade’

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Barley, the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Canola Producers Commission are holding a one-day workshop on July 28 to help producers get the best grade for their grain. Making the Grade will be held at Olds College and include hands-on sessions from experienced industry speakers on barley, wheat, and canola grading and agronomy. […] Read more

New guide to feed barley for producers

New guide to feed barley for producers

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Barley Grain Feed Industry Guide is a new publication from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in conjunction with Alberta Barley. The 34-page guide was compiled by ruminant nutrition expert Tim McAllister of Ag Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre and post-doctoral researcher Sarah Meale. It features work of leading researchers in feed barley breeding, processing, and feed […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. corn, DDGS imports likely as drought tightens feed supply

CNS Canada –– Livestock producers in Western Canada will likely have to import feed grains such as corn and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) this year, as drought is seen trimming domestic barley and other feed production. “We’ve seen droughts before, and when it’s happened, usually what has to happen is we import other […] Read more



Steven Snider, organic farmer

Organic is booming — and the push is on to get more growers

Demand for organic grain is growing at a sizzling pace and the sector fears it will lose market share if it can’t up production

Reading Time: 4 minutes Steven Snider was just 16 years old when he realized conventional farming wasn’t for him. “I was spraying a wild oat herbicide on a field, and I got drift poisoning,” said the Edberg-area farmer and owner of Little Red Hen Mills. “For three days, I was sick as a dog. That kind of changed my […] Read more

Food giant wants organic acres to double

Reading Time: < 1 minute General Mills is one of the processors investing in the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative (POGI). The Minnesota-based multinational is increasing its focus on health-conscious consumers. It wants to double natural and organic sales to $1 billion by 2020, so it’s backing efforts to get more grain farmers to go organic. More on the Alberta Farmer: […] Read more





Stripe rust on winter wheat in Brooks, Alta.

Winter wheat stripe rust update

Reading Time: < 1 minute So far in the month of June, 19 winter wheat fields have been surveyed in the counties of Lethbridge, Taber, Warner and Cardston. Eight fields surveyed in the County of Lethbridge had no signs of stripe rust. Of the six fields surveyed in the County of Warner, three fields had trace incidence of stripe rust […] Read more

Uncertainty over Russia’s wheat export tax seen slowing trade

Moscow/Abu Dhabi | Reuters –– Uncertainty over Russia’s new wheat export tax is slowing trade activity as traders who have signed forward contracts say they are unsure about how the formula will be implemented. The floating tax formula, to be launched from July 1, is intended to stop exports surging if the rouble drops steeply, […] Read more