Reading Time: 2 minutes Not requiring hog trailers coming from the U.S. to be washed and disinfected at certified Canadian wash sites is a “a crisis moment for the Canadian swine industry,” says Alberta Pork. The organization joined its western Canadian counterparts in a last-ditch effort to persuade the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to extend a federally approved trailer-wash […] Read more
New PED threat ‘a crisis moment,’ says Alberta Pork
Prairie pork boards say swine trailers coming from U.S. must be washed and disinfected here
Alberta farmers easing back the canola throttle this year
Production is forecast to drop by eight per cent – 500,000 acres – from last year
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the threat of another drought looming large in farmers’ minds, some Alberta canola acres could be lost to other crops in 2016. During its spring-seeding intentions survey, Alberta producers told StatsCan they intend to grow 5.6 million acres of canola in 2016 — a hefty eight per cent drop from last year’s 6.1 million […] Read more
Beef researcher mentorships available
Application deadline is June 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute Applications for the 2016-17 Beef Cattle Research Council’s Beef Researcher Mentorship Program are now being accepted. Four researchers were selected for the program last year and paired with mentors — innovative producers and industry experts — for a one-year term, which ends on July 31. They have reported very successful and valuable experiences, including establishing […] Read more
Hutterite colony creates first-of-its-kind farm safety program
The Viking Colony is partnering with a safety expert to create a program geared to Hutterite colonies and their diverse enterprises
Reading Time: 3 minutes Paul Wipf has a passion for safety and has always wanted to raise awareness about farm safety on his colony. That prompted the farm manager of Viking Colony to partner with a workplace health and safety consultant to develop a first-of-its-kind safety program specifically for Hutterite colonies. “This has been in my heart and mind […] Read more
ALMA still taking proposals
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency will soon disappear but the organization is still taking funding applications from businesses, researchers, and others in the industry “With our budget of $24 million, we encourage industry to continue submitting proposals and applications directly to ALMA throughout the transition,” president and CEO Gordon Cove said in a news […] Read more
Latecomer to cattle business puts the green in greenhorn
Retired engineer takes a shine to controlled grazing — and proves the system can generate amazing results
Reading Time: 4 minutes Most people don’t associate mechanical engineering with cattle grazing — unless they know Mark Burggren. Although he spent summers on his grandfather’s Strathmore-area ranch in his younger days, Burggren knew little about cattle until retiring as a mechanical engineer in 2007 and buying a quarter section near Condor. But he’s getting nearly 50 per cent […] Read more
Grasslands a carbon-capture colossus
Do the math: Take Alberta $15-per-tonne carbon tax and then look at how much carbon is stored in grasslands
Reading Time: 3 minutes If the Alberta government really wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province, it should start with an incentive for farmers to reduce annual cropping, says a rangeland management expert. “There’s a pretty compelling case about why there should be a direct economic incentive for producers to maintain or even increase the amount of […] Read more
Bar U Ranch Percherons named after pioneer
Reading Time: 2 minutes After being flooded with suggestions from members of the public, Parks Canada has named its two new Percherons. “After reviewing over 1,000 name suggestions submitted by members of the public, we’re delighted to welcome Poca and Terra to the team at the Bar U Ranch,” said Travis Weber, manager of the national historic site. Jim […] Read more
There can be a steep price for early grazing
The choices aren’t great, but a forage expert warns that early grazing can cost you dearly down the line
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the early spring, some farmers, ranchers, and acreage owners are turning out livestock four to six weeks earlier than usual. “Some of the turnouts are due to a lack of feed, and for others it is necessary to get the cows out of the corrals,” said provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. Under […] Read more
The battle against invasive mussels is unending
Zebra and quagga mussels would cause $75 million in damage annually if they got in Alberta waterways
Reading Time: < 1 minute Efforts to keep invasive mussels out of Alberta have been successful so far, but the threat is unending. “Inspectors at the Coutts inspection station near the Montana boarder have already intercepted one mussel-fouled boat since opening for the season in March, and it is expected that this will be only one of many such incidents […] Read more