Agricultural land Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Kazakhstan’s president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland

Almaty | Reuters — Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia […] Read more

General

Tighter regulations take effect for B.C. farmland reserve

Local governments' expanded role to take effect this fall

By GFM Staff, GFM Network News March 13, 2020

New regulations governing how — or if — changes can be made to land’s status within British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) are now in force, but local governments get more prep time for their expanded role. The province on Thursday announced amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) Act — having received royal assent […] Read more

Grassland bird species provide a lot of value to livestock producers, say grassland habitat experts Curtis Hullick (left) and Christian Artuso.

Livestock, News

The birds and the beef: The facts of grasslands conservation

Grassland bird populations down dramatically, but farmers often don’t appreciate their value

By Jennifer Blair October 25, 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Birds are struggling to survive on Prairie grasslands — but they’re not the only ones in trouble. “The biggest species at risk in Manitoba is beef producers,” said Curtis Hullick, field manager for the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. “It’s important to have large blocks of habitat for the birds. But with the economic pressures of […] Read more

Alberta’s big cities have an insatiable appetite for nearby farmland.

News

Do more to save farmland, say two new reports

U of A study says hundreds of thousands of acres have been lost while Senate committee calls for help for young farmers

By Alberta Farmer Staff March 29, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes A pair of new reports are urging government to do more to save good farmland from being lost to agriculture. And there’s a lot that has been lost already, according to researchers at the University of Alberta. “Analysis of satellite imagery shows that between 1984 and 2013, the amount of land in urban uses in […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

Zimbabwe to give white farmers 99-year leases

By Reuters January 31, 2018

Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe will issue 99-year leases to white farmers, according to a government circular, after new President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he would end discrimination along racial lines in agriculture. Fewer than 400 white farmers are still operating in the southern African nation, after former president Robert Mugabe’s government evicted more than 4,000 […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

Ukraine’s parliament extends ban on farmland sales

By Reuters December 7, 2017

Kiev | Reuters — The Ukrainian parliament voted on Thursday to extend a ban on the sale of agricultural land by one year, delaying what financial backers say is a key reform essential to Ukraine’s long-term economic growth. The bill was backed by 236 lawmakers, narrowly over the 226 required to pass. Currently Ukraine’s more […] Read more

News

Alberta farmland value growth second highest in Canada

Taber and Lethbridge held the highest average farmland values in 2016, reaching over $5,800 per acre 

By Agri-news July 5, 2017

Reading Time: 2 minutes While the rate of increase appears to be slowing, average farmland values in Alberta continue to rise. “Farmland values rose rapidly in the 1970s but were met with a substantial decline in the 1980s,” says Aaron Lawson, program assistant, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF). “For the most part, prices recovered by the mid-’90s, and farmland […] Read more

Grazing makes for healthier grasslands, which means more carbon capture and plant biodiversity.

Livestock

Grazing grasslands is good for the environment, study finds

A research team conducted a study on 114 sites throughout Alberta and  found that long-term grazing can have a positive impact on grasslands

By Alexis Kienlen April 6, 2016

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cattle are often demonized as environmental polluters, but grazing them can have a positive impact on grasslands. “Grasslands store a lot of carbon and we should be proactively thinking about the value of that carbon, not to mention all the environmental goods and services they provide,” said Edward Bork, professor of rangeland ecology at the […] Read more

Crops

Controlled traffic farming system can improve soil moisture levels

Once it’s in, a controlled traffic farming system can save time and money, improve yields, and reduce soil compaction

By Jennifer Blair March 10, 2016

Reading Time: 2 minutes In dry years, every little bit of water in the soil helps — and that’s tough to find in heavily compacted soils. That’s where controlled traffic farming comes in. “The idea was to address the detrimental effects of compaction. We know our equipment keeps getting heavier and heavier, and we know we cover a fair […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

Australia tightens rules over foreign buying of farmland

By Colin Packham February 12, 2015

Sydney | Reuters –– Australia tightened rules on Wednesday over foreign ownership of its agricultural land amid concerns that it is losing control of its own food security, slashing the amount beyond which land purchases would require regulatory approval. From March 1, foreign purchases of agricultural land over A$15 million (C$14.51 million) will be subject […] Read more

Major flour miller to buy U.S. chickpea processor

Wet or dry spring ahead? Depends on where in Canada

Spanish report calls for cull of over 850 cattle on pariah ship

GFM Network News