Reading Time: < 1 minute Do you need help making environmental improvements to your farm? Canada’s Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative will provide $1.9 million to help farmers, non-profits, and other organizations hire post-secondary graduates who are 30 years or younger and want to work in agriculture. Projects must offer an environmental benefit, be completed by March 2017, and the […] Read more
Funding available for green projects
Provincial farmers’ markets off to a busy start
Farmers' markets throughout the province are already seeing high customer traffic
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers’ markets are off to a promising start. “Early reports I’ve had from different markets out there say that there is a lot of customer traffic early in the season, which is good considering the economy,” said Eileen Kotowich, farmers’ market specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “Early in the year, you’re never sure how […] Read more
Three resources to read before buying land
The high cost of farmland doesn’t leave room for emotion — or miscalculation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm auction sale season has begun, and a provincial farm financial specialist says a lot of retiring farmers are choosing to sell their land by public auction. “With interest rates remaining low and the majority of Alberta farms continuing to have a strong balance sheet, the demand for farmland purchase in Alberta remains robust,” said […] Read more
Business training funds available
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Business Management Skills Development Program, has recently undergone a few minor changes, including a revised application form. The program helps producers, agri-processing companies, and agricultural organizations, and improves their business management skills. Funding is available for courses or programs that are focused on business management skills and training — including marketing, productivity, financial management, […] Read more
Food processing could be the next Alberta advantage
Despite hundreds of millions of investment, agri-food processing in Alberta is just ‘muddling along,’ says entrepreneur
Reading Time: 4 minutes One year after a call to build Alberta’s agri-food processing sector, not much has changed. “Everything has stalled,” said Jerry Bouma, co-founder of Toma & Bouma Management Consultants. “We have a new government and the formation of a new ministry. Any time you have a restructuring — both politically and bureaucratically — it takes awhile […] Read more
Farmers’ market app now available
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture has created a free app for Apple and Android that provides up-to-date information about locations, times, and dates of farmers’ markets in the province. Farmers’ markets are the No. 1 agri-tourism attraction in Alberta, providing a great shopping experience where consumers can “savour time” rather than “save time.” The app, which cost about […] Read more
Alberta land prices continue to soar
Farm cash receipts were a ‘pleasant surprise’ last year and that kept upward pressure on land prices
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was another big year for Alberta and Canadian farmland prices, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual survey. On average, provincial farmland prices jumped by 11.6 per cent, the ag lender said in its 2015 Farmland Values Report while nationally they rose 10.1 per cent. But there are a lot of variations across the province, […] Read more
Sheltered from the storm — Canadian farm sector doing well
Low dollar and a robust demand for pulses, canola, and specialty crops has spared Prairie producers from troubled times
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the U.S. enters a dark period for its farm economy, there’s cautious optimism in the Canadian agricultural outlook. “The net income and the overall situation in the United States is not looking good,” said Craig Klemmer, senior agricultural economist with Farm Credit Canada. “When we look at the net income expectations for 2016, there’s […] Read more
Grain transport problems solved? Not quite
Mandated minimums for grain movement are set to expire this summer — but Alberta crop industry leaders say they’re still needed
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s railways moved a record amount of grain for the 2014-15 crop year — but any improvements were mostly thanks to luck, not fixes to the system, say users. “A lot of the same issues that were evident in 2013 and 2014 are still there, but we’ve had a good run based on excellent weather, […] Read more
ALMA a casualty of provincial government cuts
Agency has proved its worth, industry leaders say
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency is being dissolved — and its demise is being mourned by many in the industry. “We were surprised and disappointed,” said Dave Chalack, a rancher and veterinarian who is chair of ALMA’s board. “I know we had a great organization and one that has evolved in a significant and […] Read more
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