Reading Time: < 1 minute A federal program backing research into farm-level technologies and practices that limit farms’ greenhouse gas emissions has been extended for another five-year run. Ottawa will put $27 million into the next phase of the Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program, which gave out $21 million in funding to 18 projects in the first five-year phase. Among those […] Read more
Federal funding available to help cut farm greenhouse gases
Wet-dry cycle drives up salinity and cuts yields
Invisible soil salinity affects 22 million acres on the Prairies, cutting yields by a quarter
Reading Time: 3 minutes Another dry spring could leave producers feeling salty over increased salinity in their soil. “This year and part of last year, we’ve started to see more salinity showing up,” said Jack Payne, western Prairies regional agronomist with Farmers Edge. “Saline seeps tend to form more readily after we’ve had a series of wet years followed […] Read more
Alberta honeybees are busy — but not well understood
Researcher says there’s a lot to learn about how honeybees could be used to further boost canola yields
Reading Time: 3 minutes Having bees around your canola field might be good for your yield, but the exact details of how and why are not known yet. That’s where people like Shelley Hoover, apiculture researcher with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in Lethbridge, comes in. Hoover’s research deals with bee health, bee pollination, and the impacts bees have on […] Read more
Dry conditions leave trees stressed and vulnerable
Monitor trees regularly for boring insects and bark beetles, says provincial woodlot specialist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Recent dry conditions will take a toll on trees, says the province’s woodlot extension specialist. “It’s an invitation for insect infestations, not just for this year, but for upcoming years as well,” said Toso Bozic. This is because stressed trees are less able to resist invasion, and some boring insects and bark beetles increase during […] Read more
Ecological services program catching fire in Alberta
ALUS grew slowly after arriving in Alberta in 2010, but it’s taken off in the past year and now 10 counties are on board
Reading Time: 4 minutes The notice in the county newsletter about funding for environmental projects immediately caught the attention of Gerry Taillieu. “I thought, ‘This is something I need to look into’ because it was offering financial assistance to do something we were already going to do,” said the manager of Tomahawk Cattle Ranch, a 14,000-acre operation in Parkland […] Read more
Protection measures in place for wildfire season
A permit will be required for all planned fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s wildfire season officially starts March 1, bringing into effect annual restrictions on burning activities. A permit will be required for all planned fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area, with the exception of campfires. “By beginning one month early, we can more effectively monitor burning activities and also ensure that our firefighters are well prepared […] Read more
Oilpatch slowdown steers couple back to farming
Kelly Hansen thought he had put farming behind him, but he and wife Jocelyn have been drawn back to the land
Reading Time: 2 minutes While many are suffering because of the downturn in the oilpatch, the Hansen family is using the slowdown as an opportunity to get into farming. Kelly Hansen grew up on a farm near Dapp, but left when he was 16 and was happy to put farming behind him. “But as things changed, I wanted to […] Read more
Environmental farm plans to cover species at risk
A new online tool will include technical tips and best management practices for protecting species at risk and habitat
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is adding a species-at-risk component. A $200,000 federal grant will be used to create an online tool to help producers learn about opportunities to conserve species at risk on their farms and find out whether they meet sustainable sourcing standards. Last summer, the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of […] Read more
Wild bees can boost your yields
FarmTech: There’s an estimated 300 species of wild bees in Alberta, and they can’t be beat as pollinators
Reading Time: 3 minutes Wild bees buzzing around your field can give you a bigger bang for your buck than honeybees or leafcutter bees. That’s because they actually do a better job of pollinating, said bee specialist Ralph Cartar. “Our whole world is built around managed bees and using honeybees as best we can, but in fact, the most […] Read more
The global weather stories of the year? Mine are heat and hurricanes
El Niño combined with ongoing global warming to set yet another temperature record and also fuelled major hurricanes and typhoons
Reading Time: 3 minutes I figured I would begin our look back at 2015’s weather from a global perspective and then zoom into North America, Canada, and Western Canada in particular, in an upcoming article. I have to pretty much agree with the top two 2015 global weather stories that nearly every website has come up with — 2015 […] Read more