Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has invested in California bio-based products company Origin Materials. Origin Materials will be building its first commercial-scale demonstration facility in Sarnia, Ont. by late next year. It will be using bio-based feedstocks such as crops and biomass to make new polymers, surfactants and carbon blacks, which are used as fillers and […] Read more
Bioprocessor coming to Sarnia
PHOTOS: Kids learn a lesson about farm safety and machinery
The look on their faces said it all
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rural youth got an up-close and dramatic demonstration on what happens when clothing snags on a power takeoff shaft. A dummy stuffed with newspapers explodes in a millisecond — drawing gasps from the young onlookers. More than 750 students from rural Alberta attended Farm Safety Day, which is sponsored by AltaLink, at Calgary’s Stampede Park […] Read more
Keep watch for these tree-attacking insects
Provincial woodlot management specialist offers tips for controlling pests and improving tree health
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to trees, there are a few different insects to keep an eye out for this year. “The yellow-headed spruce sawfly has been a problem for spruce the last few years, as well as spider mites,” said provincial woodlot management specialist Toso Bozic. “White pine weevil has also been a problem for young […] Read more
Seeding 91 per cent complete, harvest of over-wintered crops nears completion
Alberta crop conditions as of June 6
Reading Time: < 1 minute A week of favourable weather has advanced seeding to 91 per cent completed, up 12 percentage points for the week but well behind the five year average of 99.5 per cent. Seeding intentions are changing due to the late date as producers shift acres to barley away from spring wheat, canola and field peas. Crop […] Read more
Tornado season is upon us — here’s what to watch for
The area between the storm and cloud, clouds with bags hanging from them, and the wind are keys in spotting the danger
Reading Time: 3 minutes So far in our look at severe summer weather, and in particular thunderstorms, we have looked at how thunderstorms form, how they can grow into severe thunderstorms, and finally, how hail is produced. Next up on the severe thunderstorm list is tornadoes! Before we begin our look at tornadoes though, I think we have to […] Read more
DLF to buy Syngenta sugar beet seed business
One of the world’s biggest forage seed firms is set to enter the sugar beet seed business by buying Syngenta’s. Swiss ag chemical and seed firm Syngenta announced Thursday it will sell its sugar beet seed business to Danish forage and turf seed producer DLF Seeds for an undisclosed sum. “Sugar beet seeds is a […] Read more
Hothouse produce grower to devote site to marijuana
Canada’s only publicly traded greenhouse produce-growing company plans to put up one of its British Columbia greenhouses for a new venture in cannabis production. Vancouver-based Village Farms announced Tuesday it has partnered with Victoria-based medical cannabis producer/processor Emerald Health Therapeutics in a 50/50 joint venture to grow cannabis for medical use and, pending changes to […] Read more
Safeguard your farm buildings against fire
Emergency plans and regular inspections are key to preventing devastating losses, says expert
Reading Time: 4 minutes Although there are arguably fewer barn and shed fires on farms these days, the ones that do happen are often far more costly. Fortunately, there are also more tools available today to prevent fires. Fire prevention comes down to having a plan, choosing proper materials, and having regular inspections by a licensed electrician, said Dan […] Read more
Farm workers can unionize — but don’t panic just yet
Ag minister says workers should have that right, but predicts ‘extremely low unionization rates’
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s business as usual on Kevin Serfas’s farm after the provincial NDP government tabled a bill that will give farm workers the right to unionize. “My initial response yesterday was shock and horror,” the Turin-area farmer said in an interview May 26. “But as I did a little more reading into it, I’m a bit […] Read more
A letter to a mother from a very grateful daughter
In ways great and small, we learn to live, laugh, and persevere through the example of those who inspire us
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dear Mom, I am so proud to say that my strength of character comes from you. It must have been so overwhelming to lose your own mother at an early age. I know you worked hard at university, only to leave your profession once you married a farmer. From the city you moved to rural […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
