Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers in Alberta harvest significant acres of annual crops for greenfeed and silage every year, but production statistics are not available from Statistics Canada, nor any other source. “To fill this gap, we initiated a greenfeed and silage production survey in 2002,” said provincial crop statistician Ashan Shooshtarian. The latest survey (available at agriculture.alberta.ca) shows […] Read more
It was a big year for greenfeed in 2015
Mane Event riding high as it celebrates 10th anniversary
The country’s largest horse expo features a host of equine experts, a chance to win a blue roan filly, and an expanded Trainer’s Challenge
Reading Time: 4 minutes For those who work with horses, learning is indeed a lifelong journey. Ten years ago, Gail and Ron Barker made education the cornerstone of a program they brought to Red Deer. The Mane Event, which takes place April 21-24 at Westerner Park, will mark the anniversary by getting even bigger. “For our 10th year, we […] Read more
Monsanto Fund offering 65 scholarships
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship Program is now accepting applications from Grade 12 students — and this year applicants can be from non-farm backgrounds. The program has traditionally offered 65 entrance scholarships valued at $1,500 each to graduating Grade 12 students from farm families pursuing post-secondary studies in agriculture or agriculture-related fields. This year, eligible […] Read more
New version of CropChoice$ available
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2016 version of CropChoice$ is now available. The free crop-planning and risk management software program provides producers with the ability to choose from 40 different crops, and evaluate eight different scenarios. Producers can use their own costs and land rental prices to build their crop plan, or use the AgriProfit$ budgets already built into […] Read more
Alberta products showcased in Japan
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry says a visit to the FOODEX Japan show last month was a success. A delegation from seven companies and organizations walked the show to gather market intelligence and sales leads at the largest food and beverage trade show in the Asia Pacific. Working with Canada Pork International, Canada Beef, and Edmonton […] Read more
Educate consumers through Open Farm Days
Reading Time: < 1 minute Registration for Open Farm Days 2016 is now open. Last year’s event had more than 70 participating farms; 18 farm-to-table culinary events; 10,000 visits to farms; and almost $100,000 in food and on-farm sales. The event, which runs from Aug. 20-21 this year, provides an opportunity to support local food producers, educate consumers about agriculture, and […] Read more
Fahler centre receives funding
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Centre d’appui à la famille et à l’enfance (CAFE) Nord-Ouest in Fahler is one of eight recipients of a grant from Farm Credit Canada’s Expression Fund. The centre received $7,500 from the fund, part of $50,000 in grants given out this year to eight groups across the country. More than 110 organizations applied for […] Read more
Look at your farm the way a consumer would, says animal welfare expert
The term ‘producers’ is a problem, and so are a host of common practices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers need to talk and think about animal welfare differently to gain the trust of consumers, says an official overseeing animal welfare at one of the largest dairies in the U.S. “Everything happens through people,” Jennifer Walker, a veterinarian and director of dairy stewardship at Dean Foods, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted […] Read more
Oil companies bucking their commitments
Farmers are struggling to get oil companies to pay their leases and complete reclamation work on abandoned wells
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s a wet spot originating from an oil well in Anthony Bruder’s pasture that his cows won’t drink from. “I’ve seen cows walk up to it, sniff it, and then walk a half-mile to the other end of the field to drink from the lake,” said Bruder, who farms near Twin Butte. “If the cows […] Read more
A ‘celebration’ of women in agriculture
About 560 women — two-thirds of them farmers — attended the Advancing Women conference
Reading Time: 3 minutes They came from every province in Canada and five American states. They cheered, laughed, cried, tweeted, talked and networked. About 560 women — two-thirds of them farmers — filled the banquet halls of the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Advancing Women conference at the end of March. Now in its third year, the two-day conference […] Read more