Reading Time: 3 minutes As we enter the peak season for severe weather across the Canadian Prairies, I figured now would be a good time to continue our look at severe weather and tornadoes. While Alberta doesn’t see the same number of tornadoes relative to areas to the east and south, the province is still subject to these events. Before […] Read more
It’s that time of year when severe summer weather and tornadoes can form
Tornadoes have occurred in nearly all regions of Canada — here is what to look for when a severe storm is approaching
More environmental good work is in the works
The Heart River Watershed Restoration is the latest in a long line of environmental projects funded by the foundation
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Alberta foundation has invested nearly $100,000 for projects that will help protect the province’s environment. “The environment is critically important, and the people who are supporting it — which is who we’re working with — do incredibly valuable work,” said Rod Ruff, program director for the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. “You can see it across […] Read more
Want to plant a shelterbelt? Here are some tips
A windbreak designed for your farm site is well worth the investment, but mistakes can cause years of headaches
Reading Time: 3 minutes It pays to think ahead when planting a shelterbelt. The first step is site selection, said Jeff Renton of the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society, a joint venture of government, industry, and conservation agencies that promotes stewardship and offers extension services. The site needs proper setbacks from homes, roads, crops, and utilities. “Know where 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
Navigating Alberta’s solar energy boom
Experts weigh in with some best practices for installing solar energy arrays — and getting the job done right
Reading Time: 4 minutes Interest in solar energy on farms and ranches is reaching a fever pitch, thanks in large part to the provincial government’s $5.5-million commitment in February to help farms and municipalities connect solar panels to the electrical grid. And farmers are not the only ones taking notice. With the decline of Alberta’s oil sector, there are […] Read more
Funding available for green projects
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
Southern Alberta could soon have Texas weather
Want to see the climate projections for your county? New online atlas predicts a sweltering future
Reading Time: 5 minutes Western Canada is on an “inevitable” march towards hot, dry summers and mild winters that will make southern Alberta feel like northern Texas, according to a new climate change mapping program. “One of the big, striking conclusions of the atlas is that, even if we reduce emissions, we still see substantial changes to our climate,” […] Read more
We think we have water in abundance, but that’s just not so
We need to start appreciating how precious each litre of fresh water is, and how much of it we are using
Reading Time: 4 minutes The dry spring brought to many parts of Alberta the stark reality of the importance of rainwater. But all water usage is getting stretched beyond that which falls from the sky. And although this province is technically a semi-arid climate, Albertans have often thought of themselves as “water abundant.” Are we? Alberta has 2.2 per […] Read more
Keep score when it comes to your soil health
The Visual Soil Assessment scorecard can help producers identify whether their soils are degrading
Reading Time: 2 minutes An upcoming Foothills Forage and Grazing workshop on June 24 will feature a soil health expert from Down Under talking about what’s going on down underground. “The workshop is an introduction to the role of soil health and microbiology in building forage quality and pasture quality,” said Nicole Masters, director of Integrity Soils in New Zealand. […] Read more
Grasslands a carbon-capture colossus
Do the math: Take Alberta $15-per-tonne carbon tax and then look at how much carbon is stored in grasslands
Reading Time: 3 minutes If the Alberta government really wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province, it should start with an incentive for farmers to reduce annual cropping, says a rangeland management expert. “There’s a pretty compelling case about why there should be a direct economic incentive for producers to maintain or even increase the amount of […] Read more
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