Sydney | Reuters — Australia and China are expected to sign new bilateral agreements on beef exports, energy and security during a four-day visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that began on Thursday. Li, the first sitting Chinese premier to visit Australia in 11 years, was welcomed to parliament in Canberra by Prime Minister Malcolm […] Read more
Beef makes the cut as Australia, China move to boost trade
Drought-hit tax deferral zones named
In some areas, this is the second year in a row where a lack of feed forced the sale of breeding stock
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government is offering ranchers in parts of Alberta hit by drought deferrals on their 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. The areas include Clearwater, Lethbridge, Mountain View, Red Deer, Rocky View, Vulcan and Wheatland counties; the municipal districts of Bighorn, Foothills, Pincher Creek, Ranchland and Willow Creek; the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass; […] Read more
Drought-hit tax deferral zones named
Ottawa has seen enough drought in parts of southwestern Alberta, southern and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to offer deferrals on their ranchers’ 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Tuesday released the federal government’s initial list of municipalities designated for the 2016 deferral. In Alberta, those areas include Clearwater, […] Read more
Irrigation not forgotten in Bow River flood mitigation agreement
Keeping water levels lower behind the Ghost Dam provides capacity for capturing flood waters, but can mean less water is available later on
Reading Time: 2 minutes While irrigation districts are thankful that drought was considered in a recent flood mitigation agreement between the province and TransAlta, there is concern that more might be needed in order to ensure adequate water is available during dry spells. The five-year agreement will see TransAlta paid $5.5 million annually for keeping water levels at the […] Read more
Creep feeding an option if your pastures are hurting
A good creep ration could increase the value of a calf by $50 to $200 if prices stay around $2 a pound
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s another tough year for pastures, and producers wanting to stretch limited forage supplies should consider creep feeding calves throughout the summer, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “It’s possible that pastures will run out much earlier than normal,” said Barry Yaremcio. “In general, 70 per cent of total forage growth occurs before the […] Read more
Capturing value from riparian areas
The first step is to have a plan before you start fencing, says riparian management expert
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ask just about any Alberta farmer about the worst drought in recent memory and there’s a good chance they will say 2002 — a year that saw water supplies devastated throughout the province. For Sean McGrath, some foresight around land management that year prevented what could have been a disaster. Fencing off a dugout and […] Read more
‘Baby’ those pastures in a drought year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grazers hit hard by last year’s drought could be in for another difficult year. “Hopefully this is not setting up to be a 2002 year, but it certainly looks and feels like that,” said Ed Bork, a rangeland ecology and management researcher at the University of Alberta. “That can change in the matter of a […] Read more
Floods cause deaths, block food aid in drought-hit Ethiopia
Nairobi | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Flash floods in drought-stricken parts of Ethiopia have killed people and livestock and are blocking food aid deliveries to hungry communities, a charity said. Ethiopians have been waiting for the spring rains to replenish water sources and to plant crops after the most severe drought in decades pushed more […] Read more
California communities beg for relief from drought restrictions
Sacramento | Reuters — California communities where a wet winter has filled reservoirs and begun ameliorating the state’s catastrophic four-year drought begged water regulators on Wednesday to reduce or eliminate emergency conservation measures imposed last year. Facing pushback from aggravated consumers under the ongoing rules, water utilities say they will have little credibility asking for […] Read more
Want your pastures to handle a drought year? Do things the ‘redneck’ way
A handy mnemonic for this ranching method is ‘grass’ — graze period, rest period, animal impact, and stock density
Reading Time: 3 minutes The first thing ‘redneck ranchers’ plant is a post. “That’s why we call it ‘redneck ranching’ — we definitely don’t work in the same manner as the conventional method,” said Amber Kenyon, who operates Greener Pastures Ranching with husband Steve and their four children. “You need to start putting fences in and moving the animals […] Read more