Reading Time: 2 minutes A herd of Canada’s first breed of beef cattle will soon be home on the range at the Roy Berg Kinsella Research Ranch. Dan Hays and his family are donating their herd of Hays Converter cattle to the University of Alberta for research purposes, with the herd moving to the Kinsella Research ranch by 2018. […] Read more
Famed Hays Converter cattle find a new home — and a new future
Donating the herd to the University of Alberta will improve its genetics and make them more available
Business strategies for a down market
The bears are out, but here are some ways to manage through a time of tight margins and high risks
Reading Time: 5 minutes The grain market bears are out in full force, but while times are challenging, there are ways to manage through the latest downward cycle, say four Alberta farm leaders. “In 1980 — 35 years ago — I was selling spring wheat for $6 a bushel,” said Gary Stanford, president of the Grain Growers of Canada. […] Read more
Checkoffs a priority for Alberta Beef Producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Boosting the $1 national checkoff to $2.50 had a prime spot on the agenda at Alberta Beef Producers’ annual fall meetings. The 23 meetings held across the province attracted about 900 producers and “as we had hoped, the fall meetings generated good discussion among producers on the issue of industry funding,” the organization said in […] Read more
Make hay while the sun shines
It’s good times in the cattle business, but there are things that need to get done before the next downturn
Reading Time: 5 minutes Good times don’t last forever, so use them wisely. That, in a nutshell, is the advice of four Alberta cattle producers who were asked for their thoughts on the current state of the sector and what lies ahead. A decade of misery following the BSE crisis in 2003 has been followed by record-high prices, and […] Read more
Alberta communities recognized as wellness champions
Initiatives range from healthier school snacks and walking trails to walkability workshops and exercise breaks at city meetings
Reading Time: 2 minutes Twenty Alberta communities and individuals have been recognized as wellness champions by making the province a healthier place to live, through active living, healthy eating and overall community wellness. Among the honourees recognized by the Communities ChooseWell program are: Longview for a policy passed by town council that stipulates that council will support non-profit programming, […] Read more
Concrete may be coming down in price
Reading Time: < 1 minute Thinking of building? Check out the price of concrete first. “Concrete seems to be more expensive in the Prairie region as compared to British Columbia and Ontario,” said Todd Bergen-Henengouwen, a market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “I found that the price of a 32 MPa (megapascal) concrete in B.C. and Ontario was about […] Read more
Legacy Fund did its job to support cattle industry
Reading Time: < 1 minute An independent review of the Legacy Fund has found it was well managed, says Travis Toews, chair of the Canadian Cattlemen Market Development Council. The council was set up to administer the $80-million fund created by Ottawa and the province in 2005 to support the industry in the wake of BSE. The independent review found it […] Read more
New profile of Alberta’s greenhouse sector
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has released the 2014 Alberta Greenhouse Profile Report, which is based on a survey conducted in partnership with the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association. It provides current benchmark data on the province’s 230 greenhouses, including size, distribution in different regions within the province, heating systems, water and energy use trends, labour, as […] Read more
The downside of an option-to-purchase land agreement
This type of agreement doesn’t oblige an energy or utility company to buy the land
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Farmers’ Advocate Office has received numerous inquiries on option-to-purchase agreements between landowners and the energy and utility sectors. “It’s important that landowners are aware of the risks of option-to-purchase agreements,” said Jeana Les, research and communications specialist for the advocate office. “An option-to-purchase agreement locks a landowner into selling to a certain company at […] Read more
Researchers take aim at chronic wasting disease
Finding out why prions misfold is key to finding a treatment for CWD and BSE
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chronic wasting disease (CWD) threatens populations of mule deer, whitetail deer, and elk throughout the Prairies, and scientists are working hard towards finding a solution Like bovine spongiform encephalopathy, CWD is caused by the misfolding of a mysterious class of proteins known as prions. While researchers are not clear on the function of prions in […] Read more