Chicago | Reuters — The United States aims to double the country’s cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday. The agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will spend US$38 million to help farmers in 11 states plant crops at a time […] Read more
U.S. aims to double cover crop planting to address climate change
Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program
Doing the right thing in the right way is the key, says award-winning rancher
Brazeau County’s Duane Movald has been a keen supporter of ALUS, and the feeling is mutual
Reading Time: 4 minutes [UPDATED: Oct. 28, 2021] When it comes to conservation, Duane Movald looks beyond his farm gate. “How we manage what we do on the farm is part of the bigger picture,” said the owner of Movald Ranches. “This is a tiny little spot on the Earth, but providing an ecosystem service here helps everyone. “In […] Read more
Using a conservation assessment as a springboard
Program offers a check on wildlife and ranch health, and works with ranchers to make improvements
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve got until you have a wildlife habitat assessment done. That was the case for Melissa and Murray Downing, who were among the first to participate in a relatively new initiative by the Alberta Conservation Association. “We learned a lot about the different species that exist here,” said Melissa who […] Read more
Putting Mother Nature’s water filter to the test
It’s called phytoremediation and using native species as filters could be big for the feedlot sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes Walking through the wetlands at Olds College is an education unto itself: Native plants and trees line every path that loops around 20 constructed ponds where waterfowl swim and songbirds flit from cattail to cattail. But the wetlands are also home to something equally important — wetland research. “Managing resources like water is critical,” said […] Read more
New grazing stewardship program for 6,000 Prairie acres
Program has a component to help ranchers adopt multi-paddock grazing and regenerative agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes After growing its acres by 20 per cent last year, ALUS has lined up two big sponsors for a new initiative called Grazing Forward that will fund stewardship projects on 6,000 acres of Prairie ranchland. “A&W Canada and Cargill will together provide $1.8 million to support ranchers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as they continue to […] Read more
Grasslands conservation effort gets $70-million boost
Major grasslands initiative to fund 800 stewardship projects across the Prairies
Reading Time: 4 minutes There have been a lot of grasslands conservation efforts, but none as large as the Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative. Five organizations are being given nearly $25 million by the Weston Family Foundation for what may be the largest grasslands conservation effort ever in Canada. And each of the five groups will be committing additional […] Read more
Moving from cows to conservation a natural fit
Stewardship is at the heart of both, says the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s top official in Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Conservation has always been a passion for Tom Lynch-Staunton, and he’s found a new way to pursue that goal — moving from the beef sector to an environmental protection group. “I’m passionate about conservation and stewardship, that’s why I am in this role,” said Lynch-Staunton, who became the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s new Alberta vice-president […] Read more
Stewardship projects getting ‘ticked off the to-do list’
ALUS Canada has seen a jump in interest in its conservation programs during the pandemic
Reading Time: 2 minutes The pandemic hasn’t just prompted more housebound urbanites to undertake property improvements — more farmers are also looking at conservation projects. ALUS Canada — which helps fund projects such as fencing riparian areas or protecting wildlife habitat — has seen more applications since COVID-19 struck, said Christine Campbell, ALUS Canada’s western hub manager. “We’ve actually […] Read more
Conservation groups rally behind beef sector
If pandemic forces ranchers to exit sector, grasslands will suffer, say conservationists
Reading Time: 3 minutes Government needs to step up its support for the cattle sector — not just for ranchers, but to save the country’s most endangered habitat, say a coalition of conservation groups. Very little of Canada’s grasslands remain and the cattle sector is essential to preserving what’s left, conservation organizations told the federal environment minister in a […] Read more
Saving a jewel — and the setting it’s placed in
Easement protects pristine valley — and the farmland above it
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s a little slice of paradise nestled in the Rosebud River Valley. Along its craggy cliffsides, golden eagles and peregrine falcons nest, while moose and deer leave their own marks on the native grassland that surrounds the river’s edge. But these lands are home to more than just the wildlife. On top of the river […] Read more
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