Reuters –– Players who had begun legal action over the use of artificial surfaces at this year’s Women’s World Cup have dropped their case, their lawyers said on Wednesday. A group of elite women’s players had sued FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), arguing that artificial turf surfaces for the tournament, which takes place […] Read more
Women players drop legal battle over World Cup turf
Drought-stricken Peace Country producers get tax break but need rain
It’s been dry, dry, dry in the Peace Country and if the rains don’t come this year, they’ll ‘be hurting big time’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers in northern Alberta can make use of an income tax deferral to help them weather the 2014 drought in the Peace Country. But what they really need is a break from Mother Nature. “In 2013, the Peace Country got average rainfall,” said Valleyview producer Roland Cailliau, a Zone 9 delegate with Alberta Beef […] Read more
Manitoba to boost insurance coverage on pedigreed soybeans
Increased coverage for pedigreed soybeans is among the changes planned for Manitoba’s provincial crop insurance program for the 2015 growing season. Soybeans are expected to be the largest pedigreed seed crop in Manitoba this year, the province said in a release, and the increased coverage is expected to reflect the “additional cost” of producing the […] Read more
Intensive beef production seminar
Reading Time: < 1 minute Foothills Forage and Grazing Association is hosting an afternoon seminar on intensive beef production on pasture systems. Flavio Santos, a professor of ruminant nutrition at the University of Sao Paulo, is an expert in areas such as starch utilization by ruminants, integrating pasture management, and grain supplementation. He is also the author of 72 scientific […] Read more
New forage resources available
Reading Time: < 1 minute Foragebeef.ca has added new fact sheets and a research paper. The fact sheets are: Oats, Triticale and Corn Winter Grazing Comparison — an update on winter grazing; Triticale Swath Grazing Demonstration Project; and a financial analysis entitled Will a hay shed pay? by Alberta Agriculture economist Dale Kaliel. Also available is a paper titled: Effect […] Read more
Expert says plan your pastures and save yourself some headaches
Heavy seeding and a weed control strategy geared to specific pasture conditions are key for grazing consultant and rancher Graeme Finn
Reading Time: 2 minutes You can’t just let your cows loose on a piece of grass without proper planning and knowledge. “When I take over land, I assess it and see where we need to go,” grazing consultant Graeme Finn said at the recent Western Canada Grazing Conference. “If we have weed issues, then we control them with chemicals […] Read more
Advocating for forage crops is critical work and needs to continue
The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association works on a tight budget, but is in it for the long haul
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent reports on the financial situation of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association suggest its future is grim. But while we’ll be on a tight budget in the coming year, the association is on firm financial footing and we intend on being around for a long time. In fact, the need for an organization like […] Read more
Scientist says plants — not soil — are the building blocks of life
Australian soil scientist Christine Jones challenges conventional thinking by arguing microbes and fungi are the key to soil health
Reading Time: 4 minutes Though many claim that soil is the building block of life, Christine Jones has a different approach. “It’s not the soil that is the building block of life. It’s the plants,” the internationally acclaimed soil scientist and agricultural consultant said at a sold-out appearance in Olds. The Australian also drew a large crowd in Rycroft, […] Read more
Canadian Forage and Grassland Association short of funds, and a manager
The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) set up five years ago to help Canada’s struggling forage and grassland industry is struggling itself, but vows to carry on despite a shortage of funds and the resignation of its executive director, Ron Pidskalny. “Nobody is saying we’re going to have to shut it down,” CFGA chair […] Read more
Long-term investment — not quick-fix funding — needed for forage research
Not only is public funding scarce and the payback too low to tempt the private sector, there’s not many forage researchers left
Reading Time: 3 minutes With many veteran researchers reaching retirement age and research budgets being slashed, regaining lost capacity for long-term forage research will be an uphill battle, said the chair of a national forage association. “To have somebody commit to long-term funding when most of the funding is based on a two- or three-year window is a real […] Read more
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