Reading Time: 2 minutes Put farm safety on your agenda for the coming months, says a provincial farm safety specialist. “Winter is a great time to pull out your farm safety plan — or develop one if you haven’t already — and decide what kind of training program your family members and employees should take,” said Blair Takahashi. Some […] Read more
Winter is a great time to make the farm more safe
Taking one or more safety courses could pay invaluable dividends next year for you, your family, and employees
Panel calls for Canada to require plain-packaged pot products
Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government should regulate the production of cannabis when it is legalized for recreational use and require plain packaging for such products, an official panel recommended on Tuesday, a potential setback to growers who hoped to build brands. How cannabis is sold should be left up to the provinces and […] Read more
Jan Slomp wins another term as NFU president
Reading Time: < 1 minute Jan Slomp has been re-elected president of the National Farmers Union. Slomp and his partner Marian have been dairy farmers since 1979, first in their native Netherlands and from 1989 to 2015 in Alberta. They are setting up a new farm at Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Dana Penrice of Lacombe was elected youth vice-president while […] Read more
Tips on securing business financing
Reading Time: < 1 minute Understanding how a lender evaluates your application can help you be successful when applying for financing. To help with this, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has a new fact sheet entitled Get the Loan You Need. “This information will help give business owners an edge in securing the financing they need to develop their business,” said […] Read more
Oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches
Provincial specialist offers his tips for finding the perfect tree for the fast-approaching holiday season
Reading Time: 2 minutes Christmas will soon be here, and picking out that perfect tree is a family ritual full of promise and fun. “Over two million trees are harvested as Christmas trees across Canada each year,” said provincial woodlot extension specialist Toso Bozic. “We have very few Christmas tree growers in Alberta. The eastern provinces, British Columbia, Oregon […] Read more
What makes the best firewood?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Pound for pound, what is the best firewood? Actually, they’re all the same. “The main variation between different species is the tree density, which means they have different calorific values (amounts of heat) per volume of wood,” said bioenergy/agroforestry specialist Toso Bozic. “A cubic foot of air-dried white birch weighs about 16 kilograms, while the […] Read more
Workshops on succession planning
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture is sponsoring two-day farm transition and succession workshops in January and February. “The January session will be led by the Alberta Business Family Institute,” said provincial farm business management specialist Dean Dyck. “Topics include gathering information, evaluating financial needs, designing a succession and estate plan, and family communication.” Day 2 in February will […] Read more
Take another look at organic — and consider taking the plunge
Reading Time: 3 minutes Over the past couple of years, I have been developing and promoting new marketing tools to help farmers prove the concept of sustainability to consumers, and to use that to their advantage in pricing. Most recently, my efforts have targeted helping those transitioning into organic. I have always been honest and unbiased in my work […] Read more
Trump win unlikely to impact Dow deal, DuPont CEO says
Boston | Reuters — DuPont CEO Ed Breen said on Thursday the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is not likely to have an impact on his company’s planned merger with rival Dow Chemical. While Trump was critical of other large mergers during the campaign, Breen said many U.S. Justice Department officials reviewing the […] Read more
Fertilizer prices ‘float along’ with eyes on China, corn
CNS Canada — It’s shaping up to be a typical winter season for fertilizer prices, according to an industry expert, but he cautions plant expansions in the U.S., corn acreage and the murky world of Chinese exports will all play a part in determining any price spikes in coming months. “We’re probably expecting a typical […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
