Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s wildfire season officially starts March 1, bringing into effect annual restrictions on burning activities. A permit will be required for all planned fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area, with the exception of campfires. “By beginning one month early, we can more effectively monitor burning activities and also ensure that our firefighters are well prepared […] Read more
Protection measures in place for wildfire season
A permit will be required for all planned fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area
‘The Revenant’ wins Oscars and the hearts of Alberta cowboys
Innisfail’s Ivan Daines and friends proudly did their bits on screen and now celebrate film’s success
Reading Time: 3 minutes When rodeo legend Ivan Daines tuned into the Academy Awards last month, he was as joyous as any cowboy could be when “The Revenant” claimed best actor and director honours. “‘The Revenant’ is such a great movie. I was very proud when Leonardo (DiCaprio) won, and proud Alejandro (González Iñárritu) won,” said Daines. “It’s almost […] Read more
Low dollar won’t necessarily make 2016 a banner year for local produce
Cash-strapped produce consumers may go for ‘most bang for their buck’ in beleaguered Albertan economy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Some might think the low Canadian dollar might make 2016 a good year for local produce growers. Not necessarily, say two experts in the field. “The talk I’ve heard is that high food costs will normalize farmers’ markets or direct-market sales. These might have cost a little bit more before. Our cost of production is […] Read more
Cattle price insurance premiums up from last year
Increased volatility in the CME cattle futures market makes it more expensive to protect prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cattle price insurance for the 2016 calf crop is now available from Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) until May 31, 2016 at a little higher cost than the same time last year. Bruce Viney, risk management specialist at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, says the higher premiums directly reflect a higher level of risk and volatility. […] Read more
Ignore market chatter with AgriProfit$
Reading Time: < 1 minute Still watching the markets before finalizing your seeding plans? There are a number of factors affecting markets, and the challenge is filtering all the information, says provincial crop market analyst Neil Blue. “Rather than being caught up in day-to-day market chatter, most producers deal with the cropping decisions by considering some basics in addition to […] Read more
Project supports rural Alberta women entrepreneurs
Rural women asked to participate in an online survey
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Agriculture & Food Council (AFC) is conducting a research project called Success for Women in Agri-Food (#S4WAg) to identify and assess barriers rural Alberta women entrepreneurs face and to develop a pilot program that will support the engagement of women in the growing regional food economy and policy discussions. “Women play key roles in […] Read more
Oilpatch slowdown steers couple back to farming
Kelly Hansen thought he had put farming behind him, but he and wife Jocelyn have been drawn back to the land
Reading Time: 2 minutes While many are suffering because of the downturn in the oilpatch, the Hansen family is using the slowdown as an opportunity to get into farming. Kelly Hansen grew up on a farm near Dapp, but left when he was 16 and was happy to put farming behind him. “But as things changed, I wanted to […] Read more
Alberta beekeeping workshops set to begin
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province is putting on four beginner beekeeping workshops, two intermediate ones, and two on farm food safety and biosecurity workshops. “These workshops are designed for new entrants as well as experienced beekeepers by providing up-to-date information on better management practices from start to setup,” he says. Workshop speakers include provincial apiculturist Medhat Nasr, apiculture […] Read more
Use your head — not your hard drive — when making farming decisions
Technology is critical on any farm — but don’t rely too heavily on it
Reading Time: 4 minutes Agriculture is changing faster than it ever has before — and producers are scrambling to keep up. “When I talk to farmers, they have so many balls in the air, and they tell me that it feels like they’re dropping some of these balls,” said Raj Khosla, a Colorado State University professor who specializes in […] Read more
Be bold and dream big, says legendary plant scientist
The father of farmers’ biggest money-maker says crop scientists are just getting started
Reading Time: 4 minutes Wilf Keller isn’t a household name, even in farm circles, but his work has helped pay a lot of mortgages across the Prairies. The Saskatchewan native was the key player in the development of the first genetically modified, herbicide-resistant canola — the most profitable crop Canadian farmers have ever grown. Since 2012, Keller has been […] Read more