Reading Time: < 1 minute Growing Forward 2’s On-Farm Stewardship program might have some cash for you. “As we get into the depths of winter, it’s time to start planning for next year,” said Mike Hittinger, a provincial extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture. “The On-Farm Stewardship program has financial support for some of the things you may be planning.” The […] Read more
On-farm stewardship funding available
Composting fastest and cheapest way to deal with deadstock
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the fastest and cheapest ways to dispose of deadstock is to compost them — and you can even do it in winter. “As soon as your compost heats up to 40 C, it doesn’t smell like a carcass anymore… it’s not,” said Kim Stanford, a beef research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. […] Read more
Boosting the bottom line through better pasture management
It’s about more sunlight, rain, and forage types — and never overgrazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes If farming these days is all about managing inputs, then grazing comes down to managing the land itself — the sunlight, water, minerals, and biodiversity that make pasture lands grow. “We can’t control the price of oil; we can’t control the cost of steel for making farming equipment; but we can manage and control these […] Read more
Know the rules and think of your neighbours
You don’t need a permit for temporary manure storage, but the rules don’t give you a free pass, either
Reading Time: < 1 minute Temporary storage is a regulated management option that allows a producer to store manure in the field for a short period of time without requiring permits or additional testing. “Temporary sites offer a number of advantages — operators can avoid spreading on snow and frozen ground, can compost the manure, and can minimize the impact […] Read more
Fall is a good time to empty a catch basin
But take care not to overapply liquids on fields and cause run-off
Reading Time: < 1 minute Fall is an excellent time to empty a catch basin. “Maintaining an empty catch basin will help to reduce the risk of overflow next spring,” said Cody Metheral, a provincial extension specialist in confined feeding operations. “During pump-out, it is important to remember that overapplication of catch basin contents could result in run-off from the […] Read more
Manitoba extends fertilizing deadline to Saturday
A warmer-than-usual November has allowed Manitoba’s conservation and water stewardship department to delay its winter fertilizing ban until Saturday (Nov. 14). With soil temperatures not yet at the freezing point, the province announced Monday it would extend its deadline for spreading of phosphorus and/or nitrogen, including synthetic fertilizers and/or manure, to Nov. 14 from Nov. […] Read more
New fact sheet on concrete liners for manure storage
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has a new fact sheet to provide guidance on the use of non-engineered concrete liners used for manure collection and storage areas. “Concrete is a practical, cost-effective, and long-lasting material to use as a liner for manure collection and storage areas at confined feeding operations,” said extension specialist Deanne Madsen. “This […] Read more
Alberta project turns manure into liquid gold
Researcher says liquid composting of manure is a viable on-farm process whose time has come
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nick Savidov doesn’t mince words when he talks about relying solely on synthetic fertilizer to feed the planet. “The fact is that if we don’t learn how to recycle nutrients and water, we are doomed,” said the senior research scientist at the Bio-industrial Opportunities Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We will start dying off […] Read more
Copper toxicity an issue for lamb producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Lamb Producers says there have been reports of copper toxicity in market lambs and is urging producers to take care. The organization says rations for cattle, goats, or horses should never be fed to sheep, and that land fertilized with hog manure can have high levels of copper. “Since copper is stored in the […] Read more
Call it a win-win: Curbing pollution with chicken manure
Scientists have found a type of micro-algae that gobbles up greenhouse gas emissions — and it has a taste for nutrient-rich chicken manure, too
Reading Time: 3 minutes Poultry manure and that annoying green slime which grows in our lakes each summer could hold the key to helping the province’s oilsands mining companies and coal-fired power plants clean up their act, while producing a valuable commodity in the process. Researchers have discovered a strain of naturally occurring micro-algae that can scrub 100 per […] Read more
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