Reading Time: < 1 minute Grade loss — not yield reduction — is what hurts the pocketbook when it comes to fusarium. That’s the finding of a new report by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, which examined the financial impact of fusarium head blight. “While some economic losses occur due to yield reduction, grade loss is responsible for the greatest cost,” […] Read more
The bottom line on fusarium head blight is ugly
New study says a two per cent rate of damage will cost a producer $87 an acre
Alta. cuts ranchers’ water pump rental fees
Ranchers and farmers renting the Alberta ag ministry’s pumps and pipes to move water for livestock watering and domestic use in dry areas may now get the equipment for half the going rate. The province announced Thursday it will cut the rental fees charged under its annual Water Pumping Program, through which producers, or groups […] Read more
Alberta NDP taps ex-AAFC staffer as ag minister
A former technician with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has been named as the Alberta New Democrats’ first minister of agriculture, forestry and rural development. Premier Rachel Notley on Sunday named Whitecourt-Ste. Anne MLA Oneil Carlier to the now-expanded portfolio, which takes over responsibility for forestry from the department of environment and sustainable resource development. Including Notley […] Read more
Alberta ag minister named acting justice minister
Alberta’s agriculture minister is now also its justice minister. Premier Jim Prentice on Saturday appointed Verlyn Olson, MLA for Wetaskiwin-Camrose since 2008 and the province’s ag and rural development minister since 2012, as both acting justice minister and solicitor general. Prentice said his move follows having “asked for and received the resignation” of Calgary-Acadia MLA […] Read more
Lethbridge horseman founds first equine-training college in Canada
Ernie Knibb is financing the $7.5-million project and expects to have the school up and running in late March or early April
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s the first of its kind in Canada — and a labour of love for one Lethbridge-area horseman. Would-be horse trainers are already beating down Ernie Knibb’s door, and he hasn’t even opened the door to the Lethbridge Community Equine College. The private college, located just outside Lethbridge on Highway 25, will be the first […] Read more
Scientist says plants — not soil — are the building blocks of life
Australian soil scientist Christine Jones challenges conventional thinking by arguing microbes and fungi are the key to soil health
Reading Time: 4 minutes Though many claim that soil is the building block of life, Christine Jones has a different approach. “It’s not the soil that is the building block of life. It’s the plants,” the internationally acclaimed soil scientist and agricultural consultant said at a sold-out appearance in Olds. The Australian also drew a large crowd in Rycroft, […] Read more
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