Reading Time: 3 minutes Vance Graham’s land is now more attractive to bees, and all he had to do was plant a few seed packets. Graham is one of 38 Alberta farmers who signed up for Operation Pollinator, a project run by Syngenta and the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. “They wanted it on an area of ground that […] Read more
Alberta producers create a buzz on their farms with pollinator program
Program encourages farmers to seed an acre or two with plants that attract pollinators and build biodiversity
Green grass and newborn calves a perfect match, says longtime grazer
The list of pluses is long, says Jim Bauer, including easier calving, reduced feed requirements, and calves that outgain their winter-born cousins
Reading Time: 3 minutes Assisting a cow with her calf is much nicer when the weather is pleasant — and matching calving season with the onset of green grass makes you more money, too. “When you can line up that reproductive cycle with the grass production cycle, that’s huge,” said Jim Bauer, an Acme-area rancher and former manager of […] Read more
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
Moving along: Institute developing super-fast fencing tool
The device has been designed to allow one person to string half a mile of four-strand, 3D fence in just two hours
Reading Time: 2 minutes Any producer who has put up a temporary fence knows what a tedious process it can be. However, a new device may soon save producers some headaches by halving both the time and labour spent on installing temporary fencing. “Based on some surveying we did of farmers, it takes four to eight hours to put […] Read more
Making electric fence installation easier
Thanks to better technology, electric fences aren’t as prone to breakages, fires, and shorts — but improper installation is costly
Reading Time: 4 minutes Although it’s arguably the most basic structure on almost any farm or ranch, building a fence can come with a surprising number of decisions in terms of placement and materials. Add electricity to the mix and producers are faced with even more complexity. The good news is that technology has improved dramatically since the days […] Read more
A chance to see how beef is raised down south
The Grey Wooded Forage Association is planning its first trip to Argentina
Reading Time: 2 minutes Members of the Grey Wooded Forage Association are planning a trip to a new continent, and they’re looking for people to join them. The group will be hosting its inaugural tour abroad to Argentina in February 2015. The tour is focused on Argentina’s beef industry, and participants will get to visit farms, research centres, and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
