Reading Time: 4 minutes The federal government has loosened the purse strings for canola producers hoping to set up select 4R nutrient management practices on their farms. Applicants to the Canola 4R Advantage program can now seek up to $20,000 in assistance for each of three (possibly four) eligible 4R best management practices, compared to $6,000 per BMP in […] Read more
Feds up the ante for canola growers adopting 4R
Cash available more than triples in second year of Canola 4R Advantage
The meat of the matter: Another way to look at environmental metrics
Protein density and ecosystem impacts make meat competitive with grains, says researchers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – When attempting to get an accurate gauge of global food security and protein sufficiency, metrics matter. The food sufficiency metric must reflect what each type of food production supplies, including environmental benefits, social structures or sustainability credentials, said Vaughn Holder, ruminant research director with Kentucky-based nutrition company Alltech. “The metrics are important […] Read more
Yarrow Project extends grassland preservation
Area will rely on cattle to replace the ecosystem services of bison, Nature Conservancy of Canada says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta has a new area of preserved natural grassland right outside Waterton Lakes National Park. Dubbed the Yarrow project, it comprises 150,000 acres. “It really is one of the most unique and incredible properties I’ve ever personally been to,” said Jeremy Hogan, director of prairie grassland with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He said the […] Read more
Ranchers say federal funding key to watering improvements
Not everyone is happy with the way OFCAF does business, with some saying it doesn’t support cutting-edge producers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Installing a pasture pipeline watering system was a pipe dream — literally — for Matt and Angela Kumlin, until they tapped the On-Farm Climate Action Fund. The Kumlins received $70,000 through OFCAF to build a water pipeline on their ranch. Now creeping up on the $100,000 mark, Angela said the project, meant to boost rotational […] Read more
Improved varieties contributing to rise in winter wheat acres
Acreage is still small, but more Manitoba farmers are growing the crop and reporting high profits
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – New varieties of winter wheat are boosting the bottom line of growers and fuelling an upsurge in acres in Manitoba. “Winter wheat is the most profitable cereal crop for many farmers in our program,” said Alex Griffiths, a winter wheat specialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada in Brandon, Man. “In the past two […] Read more
Federal ‘climate action’ grants are a huge hit with Alberta producers
More than 1,000 applications have flooded in, prompting program administrator to push the pause button
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta farmers love Ottawa’s “climate action” program so much that applications have been paused until late summer. “It’s a pretty lucrative program and people were actually aware of it this year,” said Johanna Murray, extension coordinator with Peace Country Beef and Forage Association. “There were people who didn’t get around to applying last year because […] Read more
Threatened rangelands will be in the global spotlight in 2026
The UN’s international year will highlight both the threat and ways to preserve this critical habitat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas, lentils and beans got a big boost in their public profile thanks to the UN’s International Year of Pulses in 2016 and soon rangelands will get their turn in the spotlight. While “it’s tough to get people excited” about an event that’s still three years away, the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists […] Read more
Eyes in the skies to boost effort to reward eco-system services
Reading Time: < 1 minute A “carbon quantification” project that uses remote sensing to measure biomass and soil carbon on conservation projects on marginal farmland is getting a $1.5 million boost from the charitable arm of the country’s largest bank. ALUS (originally an acronym for Alternative Land Use Services) is a charitable organization that assists producers in 38 communities, nearly […] Read more
Schoepp: Some are demanding deep and misguided changes to farms
Reducing emissions or boosting green energy and indoor farming is fine, but controlling farms isn’t
Reading Time: 3 minutes I have been listening to regional and international panels addressing the future of food security. In many circles, the talk is of reducing animal agriculture, government acquiring food production lands, reducing crop inputs and alternative systems. It seems we are on the verge of trashing a complex natural ecology for non-food-bearing green spaces and vertical […] Read more
New program offers big dollars for providing eco-services on your land
New ‘resilient’ farm program offers up to $150,000 for items such as rotational grazing and restoring wetlands
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you always wanted to try rotational grazing or protect riparian areas? Then say hello to a new government program called the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP). There has never been a program quite like this one, said Giselle Ulrich, a grant program specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. “A lot of the best management […] Read more
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