Reading Time: 2 minutes When inspecting your dugout, work from the outside in. A fall inspection should start with a check of the area that feeds into the dugout, said provincial water specialist Dan Benson. “A properly graded, mowed grassed waterway is an excellent best-management practice that can reduce turbidity and nutrient-rich water from entering your dugout,” he said. […] Read more
Fall is a good time to inspect and maintain a dugout
Mowing and ensuring the float line is below ice level are good yearly practices, and warning signs are a must
Still time to join a 4-H club
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 4-H year is underway but registration for 4-H members and clubs will remain open until the end of November. Leaders can register existing clubs and all their members and volunteer leaders online. Those looking to join a club, or who need help registering their club, or who want more information, can call 780-422-4H4H (4444) […] Read more
Conservation deal ‘the right thing to do’ for historic ranch
Reading Time: 4 minutes When Edith Wearmouth thought of all the reasons why she loved the land her family has farmed for 113 years, it made sense to put part of it into a conservation easement. “When I was growing up here, I took a lot of things for granted — the creeks and the hills and that sort […] Read more
CPTPP trade agreement ratified
Canada will be among the original six and will gain some benefit from moving early
The last domestic legislative hurdle to enacting the CPTPP trade deal with Pacific rim countries has been cleared. The deal was approved by senate and received Royal Assent the afternoon of Oct. 25. The moves makes Canada one of the first countries to ratify the 11 nation deal which comes into effect once the first […] Read more
Regenerative agriculture: A better way to farm?
Modern version of mixed farming model is attracting producers focused on ‘the long game’
Reading Time: 4 minutes Twelve years ago, Ryan Boyd faced a wreck that changed the way he farms today. “I had big plans,” said Boyd, who farms with his wife and parents north of Brandon, Man. “We had a nice crop coming, and then the weather went against us and the markets dropped. “The long and short of it […] Read more
Provincial lender triples its loan maximums for farmers
In addition to the new $15-million limit, the Crown corporation is making terms more flexible
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Agricultural Financial Services Corporation is upping the amount of money it will loan producers. The move comes after a two-year review that included public consultation and meetings with producers and industry groups. “The review found that there is strong need for AFSC’s financial support across Alberta aimed at encouraging rural development and meeting the […] Read more
Some close calls, but invasive mussels kept at bay this year
Eleven boats were found to be carrying the fast-breeding and highly destructive aquatic invaders
Reading Time: 3 minutes The massive effort to keep quagga and zebra mussels out of Alberta’s waterways once again paid dividends. “This year, inspectors surveyed 31,000 boats and found 11 carrying invasive mussels,” said Janine Higgins, an official with the Community Engagement Branch of Alberta Environment and Parks. In 2017, 35,000 boats were inspected and 19 were found to […] Read more
Trudeau vows to impose carbon tax, opponents push back
Ottawa | Reuters – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said he would fulfill a promise to impose a carbon tax on provinces unwilling to combat climate change, prompting instant protests from a voter-rich part of the country. Trudeau, whose ruling Liberals face an election in October 2019, told a news conference that all the money […] Read more
U.S. judge affirms Monsanto weed-killer verdict, slashes damages
Reuters – A U.S. judge on Monday affirmed a verdict against Bayer AG unit Monsanto that found its glyphosate-based weed-killers responsible for a man’s terminal cancer, sending the German company’s shares down 8 percent. In a ruling by San Francisco’s Superior Court of California, Judge Suzanne Bolanos said she would slash the punitive damages award […] Read more
There is common ground that bridges the urban-rural divide
A visit to a country fair — or the local elevator or feed store — is a chance for those conversations that bind us
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Oh, that is so cool,” the young woman exclaimed as she touched the cow on display at the local fair. Another man was blown away by the use of shampoo and conditioner on show cattle while yet another adult just kept saying, “Isn’t this amazing,” as she looked in the dewy eyes of a bovine […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
