Reading Time: 2 minutes After arriving back from Newfoundland, participants shared their experiences in a report to 4-H Canada. Here are some of their comments: I enjoyed hosting. All of the people at my house made themselves at home. It was cool to show them my town and area. I liked being a tourist at home… My favourite activity […] Read more
‘Opportunities like this don’t come up very often’
Keep on eye on costs when pursuing unpaid rent
The Surface Rights Board carefully reviews the bills of lawyers and agents who help landowners file their application
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) is advising landowners to take care when hiring advisers to help them prepare their Surface Rights Board case. “Landowners will often recruit professional assistance in filing their applications to the SRB,” FAO spokesperson Jeana Les said in a release. “While the board has the power to require the industry operator […] Read more
Millions of chickens reported dead in Hurricane Matthew floods
Chicago | Reuters — Flooding from Hurricane Matthew has killed up to five million poultry birds in North Carolina, most of them chickens, the state’s top environmental official said Wednesday. Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, also told Reuters that some pits that hold hog waste on farms […] Read more
Farm and agri-food employers hail call for foreign worker reform
A new parliamentary report backs their recommendations to fix critical shortage of workers, but will the federal government act on them?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm employers and food processors are hoping a new report will spur Ottawa to revamp its temporary foreign worker program. “There are lots of things in the report that are very positive for ag and agri-food,” said Mark Chambers, senior production manager with Sunterra Farms and co-chair of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force. […] Read more
B.C. beer firm to shed Vancouver, Winnipeg breweries
The owner of Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Brewing and Surrey-based Russell Brewing is set to sell those companies to separate buyers. Vancouver-based Russell Breweries said Friday it plans to sell Fort Garry to an unnamed purchaser for about $7.7 million and Russell Brewing to a B.C. numbered company for $1.8 million. Russell Breweries, whose shares trade […] Read more
U.S. farmers race to ready for Hurricane Matthew’s blast
New York | Reuters — Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, roiled commodities markets and forced companies from cane refiners to orange juice makers to shutter as it whipped its way toward the southeastern U.S. on Thursday. Southeastern companies were closing down operations ahead of a storm that could threaten some […] Read more
Agrium, PotashCorp shareholders vote on merger next month
Reuters — Agrium and PotashCorp shareholders will hold separate meetings next month to vote on a merger agreement between the two fertilizer companies, they said in a filing on Thursday. The all-stock deal would combine Potash’s crop nutrient production capacity, the world’s largest, with Agrium’s farm retail network, North America’s biggest. Agrium shareholders will meet […] Read more
This tree is also a noxious weed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Common buckthorn, otherwise known as European buckthorn, has been found in two locations in Alberta — in Edmonton along the North Saskatchewan River and in Stettler County. It was originally brought to North America from Eurasia as an ornamental, but soon spread throughout the continent. High seed production and excellent tolerance to Canada’s climate allow […] Read more
Expert offers some tips for planting trees in the fall
Take a look in town for different species that can survive Alberta winters
Reading Time: 2 minutes You can plant trees in spring, but fall planting has its advantages because there is more moisture in the soil and higher humidity. “This gives the root system a better chance to get established so it can be ready to get growing earlier in spring,” said provincial agroforestry specialist Toso Bozic. In early spring, the […] Read more
Bill 6 coverage wins prestigious journalism award
Reading Time: < 1 minute For the second year in a row, Alberta Farmer reporter Jennifer Blair has been honoured at the country’s premier agricultural journalism awards program. Blair won bronze in the Weekly Press Reporting category for her December 2015 story entitled Big Blowup, which detailed the firestorm of protests which arose following the introduction of Bill 6, which […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
