Reading Time: < 1 minute The Taste of Canada — an event to help Canadian exporters get into the U.S. food-service and retail sector — is hitting the road again. The fourth edition of the event will be held in San Francisco on Nov. 3-4, said Dusan Rnjak, trade development officer with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “This professional food […] Read more
Taste of Canada is on the road again
Fourth edition of event heading to San Francisco
Stripe rust spread slowing, spring wheat fields most affected
Pest surveillance branch update August 7, 2014
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mike Harding, AARD – Twenty-four spring wheat fields were surveyed for stripe rust in the Lethbridge, Warner, Taber and Forty Mile counties of southern Alberta. The continuing hot, dry weather has generally slowed the spread of the disease. Among spring wheat fields surveyed, stripe rust was observed in 58 per cent with average stripe rust […] Read more
When to cut after hail
Reading Time: < 1 minute “We’re getting calls at the Ag-Info Centre from producers who have lost their crop to hail and want to know when they should be cutting what’s left for silage or green feed,” says Barry Yaremcio, beef/forage specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Stettler. “The answer to this question largely depends on how much the crop […] Read more
Wheat quality declines a mystery
Not all customers are happy with AC Harvest and AC Stettler, but it’s not known whether the varieties or growing conditions are the issue
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers at Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development are trying to get at the root of what’s causing quality problems in two popular hard red wheat varieties. “We cannot lose our reputation as a high-quality supplier,” said Sheri Strydhorst, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “For us to compete as just a volume […] Read more
New root rots slamming Alberta pea growers
Producers across the Prairies are facing devastating losses in their pea crops — and new species of root rots may be to blame
Reading Time: 5 minutes On bad years — those with cool, wet springs; years like this one — Donald Mueller is lucky if his pea fields yield three bushels an acre. He’ll make back his seed and not much else, losing north of $400 an acre in inputs. Still, the good years have made up for the bad, so […] Read more
Three keys to managing root rots in your peas
Reading Time: 2 minutes Managing root rots comes down to “three key pillars,” says Michael Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. The first is field selection. “If you have a piece of land that has a heavy textured soil and doesn’t drain very well, that may not be a good spot to put peas.” Next is […] Read more
Jess Verstappen wins top 4-H honour
Reading Time: 2 minutes Jess Verstappen, a 17-year-old from High Prairie, is the 50th person to win the 4-H Premier’s Award, the highest honour that can be given to an Alberta 4-H member. “4-H is a great organization to be involved in because of all the things you get out of it,” said Verstappen. “Not only is it a […] Read more
Abuse of temporary foreign worker program could spell trouble for farmers
Alberta’s labour shortage has made hiring temporary foreign workers more attractive for farmers — but visas are harder to get
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers may have a harder time getting foreign worker visas following recent allegations that McDonald’s is abusing Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. “It’s getting more difficult (to hire foreign labour),” said Al Dooley, agriculture labour recruiter with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “We’ve seen, from the program’s point of view, some bad news stories, and […] Read more
2014 Blue Book ready
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2014 version of the “Blue Book” is now available. Officially called the Crop Protection book, the 2014 edition has several new entries in its four sections (herbicides, insecticides, seed treatments and foliar fungicides), said Mark Cutts, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. These include newly registered foliar fungicides; new seed treatment products […] Read more
Finally some good news for bruised and battered pork producers
PEDv has pushed down hog supply and sent prices soaring
Reading Time: 3 minutes Murray Markert sums up the mood of Alberta pork producers these days in a single word. “Relief,” said the Vulcan farmer when asked about recent record-high pork prices. “The money we’re getting right now will help fill in the hole that most of us dug to stay in the game.” For most, that likely means […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
