Reading Time: 4 minutes More needs to be done to tap into the huge and growing market for halal meat, say experts. “It’s a market that people seem to be a little afraid of or haven’t quite understood,” said Grant Winton, a manager with the International Relations and Marketing Section of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. The word ‘halal’ simply […] Read more
Halal beef a huge opportunity for Alberta, say market experts
The market for beef and food products produced in compliance with Islamic law is big and getting bigger
Clever innovators have found new ways to bring us a cleaner plate
There are a host of flours made with unusual ingredients and they can also be used to make edible cutlery
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was thinking of my friend Ashley Fraser and the time I spent on his farm. The Australian innovator grew a variety of specialized seed crops for certified seed and birdseed, with the screenings going to the feed bunk ration. It was a waste-free way of looking at seed production and usage. In his climate […] Read more
Meat tax unlikely but alternatives gaining ground
Consumers are being offered more plant-based proteins and adding more of them to their diets, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes A tax on meat was the story d’jour at the start of the new year, and although the prospects of such a tax seem slim, the livestock industry risks losing market share to plant-based products, says an expert. The call for a tax came from Jeremy Coller, founder of one of the world’s largest private […] Read more
It’s tiny now, but fledgling hops sector is taking flight
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s no doubt that the craft brewing industry in Alberta is hot — and that’s sparking a mini-boom in growing hops. “We know of 12 producers in Alberta, but that does not account for farmers who haven’t engaged with us,” said Wade Bendfeld, president of the Alberta Hop Producers Association, which was formed in March […] Read more
Demand is there, but jumping into hops isn’t easy
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re wondering if hops might be something you’d like to try, Ontario’s Ag Ministry’s website has a powerpoint primer called Local Hops: A brewing industry. Even though the presentation is barely a year old, Alberta doesn’t even make the list of hops-growing provinces. The owners of Northern Girls Hops west of Edmonton actually started […] Read more
A taxing situation — study says there’s no easy fix to county’s cattle tax
The levy on feedlot cattle has some justification, a lot of drawbacks, and no trouble-free alternatives, says new study
Reading Time: 4 minutes Lethbridge County’s head tax is unfair for cattle feeders — but there’s no easy alternative. Those are the key takeaways from a new study that looked at both the impact of a per-cow tax, and how the county could raise badly needed funds for maintaining and repairing its roads. Read more: Lethbridge County ‘head tax’ ruled […] Read more
Producers wanted for cow-calf survey
Reading Time: < 1 minute Do you wonder how your cow-calf operation compares with others in your region, province or herd size on matters like conception rate and weaning weight? Producers who participate in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey will receive a complementary report that allows them to compare their own operation with benchmarks. The survey takes about 45 […] Read more
Out of the blue — India’s tax on peas hits growers here
India is our top customer for pulses but the pea tax and ongoing fumigation issue make for ‘a challenging situation’
Reading Time: 2 minutes India’s sudden decision to impose an immediate 50 per cent duty on pea imports has Canadian pulse officials scrambling to find answers — and figure out what comes next. “This sort of moves us beyond even where India has been before in pulse import duties… more than a decade ago we were at 10 per […] Read more
There may be slim pickins in the pasture
Water-stressed forages have more fibre and less protein, and that can reduce feed intake and body conditioning
Reading Time: 2 minutes A hot, dry summer hastened the maturity and dormancy of native and improved pastures in many parts of the province, reducing both quality and digestibility of forages. “Plants do not grow as tall as normal in dry conditions,” said beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “Fibre levels increase faster and overall energy content of the […] Read more
New technology brings new risks to the farm, say experts
Advances — from needleless injectors to auto steer — make farming easier, but also have safety implications
Reading Time: 3 minutes New technology brings many advantages to the farm, but can also result in unintended hazards, both for farmers and animals. This was stressed numerous times during presentations on technology at this year’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Association annual general meeting. Read more: AgSafe Alberta offering free safety programs for farmers “There’s a lot of routine work on […] Read more
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