Ducks Unlimited Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Ben Campbell, a rancher from Black Diamond, appears in “Guardians of the Grasslands,” which was filmed at the Waldron Ranch.

Film celebrates not just grass, but a special, overlooked habitat

Documentary shines a spotlight on grasslands and why they need to be protected and cherished

By Alexis Kienlen October 22, 2019

Not all superheroes wear capes — some put on work clothes and graze cows. Ranchers are the stars of a new mini-documentary called “Guardians of the Grasslands” and their mission is to protect this fast-disappearing habitat. Three-quarters of the country’s native grasslands have already been lost, and cattle are key to protecting those that remain […] Read more

In a new documentary, Mickenzie Plemel-Stronks says grasslands are a disappearing ecosystem that urgently need to be protected — and that cattle are the way to do that.

Livestock, News

Ducks Unlimited Canada goes all in to support cattle grazing

Conservation group wants public to know that cattle are key to saving grasslands

By Alexis Kienlen October 10, 2019

Even though they don’t walk like a duck or quack like one, the country’s leading duck organization is pretty fond of cows. “For years, the backbone of conservation in Western Canada has been our cattle-producing partners because of the need for them to have good grass and good water,” said Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Mickenzie Plemel-Stronks, […] Read more

Crops, Weather, Winter Wheat

Winter wheat harvest varies by province

By Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm August 15, 2019

MarketsFarm — Depending where a farmer is located, Canada’s winter wheat crop has varied this year. Ontario has long been the country’s powerhouse for winter wheat. Statistics Canada projected the province’s farmers to seed just over one million acres this year, nearly 75 per cent of Canada’s total winter wheat acres. However, Marty Vermey, senior […] Read more

There is a lot of solid information to show consumers about the beef industry’s environmental footprint, but getting it to them is a challenge.

Beef 911, Livestock

Beef sector redoubles its efforts to reach out to consumers

The goal is to use solid data and offer to the public in easy-to-digest ‘packages’

By Alexis Kienlen April 12, 2019

A new Beef Cattle Research Council article making the case that beef production uses water efficiently is the latest example of a renewed effort to reach out to consumers. The industry has recognized there is “a gap on the consumer communication side and somebody needed to do something,” said Reynold Bergen, the council’s science director. […] Read more

Dylan and Colleen Biggs, along with their daughters Jocelyn (far left), Maria (centre), and Hanna (right), have carried on the family legacy of wetland conservation on TK Ranch.

Livestock

Wetland conservation a ‘win-win’ in dry ranching country

Wetland conservation has changed a lot since TK Ranch began partnering with Ducks Unlimited in 1957

By Jennifer Blair February 27, 2019

Making a living off the land in Special Areas No. 2 has never been an easy prospect. During the Dirty ’30s, farmers in this little pocket of southeast Alberta were among the hardest hit in the province. And in a dry year, the area isn’t much better off today. There’s very little topsoil, very little […] Read more

News

Grants preserve grasslands and wildlife habitats

Provincial funding funds conservation easements to protect 13,000 acres from development

By Alberta Environment and Parks Release October 15, 2018

The Alberta Land Trust Grant Program is giving more than $7 million to support 24 different projects that will conserve 13,000 acres of private land containing watersheds, grasslands and wildlife habitats. The grants will support projects by the Alberta Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Legacy Land Trust Society, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the […] Read more

Crops, Weather, Winter Wheat

Prairie winter wheat conditions uncertain

By Ashley Robinson - MarketsFarm April 3, 2018

CNS Canada — While it’s too early to assess how the western Canada winter wheat crop fared this winter, there is some uncertainty due to unseasonably cold April temperatures. “We start losing cold tolerance, especially in March and going into April now. And that’s when you need to monitor temperatures or for (the crop) to […] Read more

Ducks Unlimited Canada conservation specialist Bryon Wolters points out the benefits of conservation easements to provincial policy specialist Warren Robb (right) and farmer Shawn Jacula (centre) at a real estate workshop this fall.

News

This ain’t your grandad’s conservation easement

Easements are changing with the times, making it less restrictive for producers to protect their wetlands

By Jennifer Blair February 1, 2018

Producers can find the right buyers for their marginal lands — if they know where to look. “There is a market out there now for some of these parcels of land that producers might have a hard time off-loading because they’re wet,” said Warren Robb, provincial policy specialist at Ducks Unlimited Canada. And his organization […] Read more

The high demand for forages is seeing many producers convert cropland to pasture.

Crops, News

Cropland conversion program seeing increased uptake

Program gives rebates on Proven Seed forages for producers putting cropland into grass

By Ducks Unlimited canada Release February 22, 2016

There’s increased interest in a program that offers producers a price break when converting cropland to forages, says Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Declining prices for wheat and other cereal crops, as well as a simultaneous increase in beef prices, are leading many landowners to seriously consider the move to increase their cattle herd,” said Craig Bishop, […] Read more

Crops, Forages

Ducks Unlimited shifts forage incentive for Manitoba

By Staff January 29, 2016

A program encouraging Prairie farmers to improve waterfowl habitat by flipping cropland into hayland or pasture will continue the same this spring, except in Manitoba. The DUC/CPS forage program, offered by Ducks Unlimited Canada and Crop Production Services (CPS) Canada, will still see growers in Saskatchewan and Alberta get a rebate of $100 for each […] Read more

JBS says U.S. IPO would not change headquarters

Prairie cash wheat: CWRS prices up, durum largely down

U.S. grains: Soy futures rise as China offers tariff waivers

GFM Network News