Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers are stepping up to the plate to satisfy the growing appetite of Albertans who want to experience agriculture first hand. More than 100 rural operations are on the hosting list for this year’s Alberta Open Farm Days on the Aug. 18-19 weekend. Even those involved in agriculture may be amazed at the variety of […] Read more
Open Farm Days has quickly become an Alberta institution
The event’s popularity has soared, with a twentyfold increase in visitors since its inception six years ago
New learning resource explains farming in ‘bite-sized’ chunks
Facts sheets a good fit for Alberta Open Farm Day
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture in the Classroom Canada has launched a new online resource called snapAG that allows students and others to explore hot topics affecting the agriculture industry. The organization has created more than 40 two-page fact sheets covering topics such as farming basics, animal health, animal care, the environment, pesticides, food, growing crops, and organics. “Ag […] Read more
Sustainability comes in many forms — all of them important
Reading Time: 4 minutes Kara Oosterhuis, 21, of Bow Island was the senior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. Her topic was: What is sustainability and why does it matter to Canadian agriculture? We live off the land. I live off the land. You live off the land. Sustainability is vital to […] Read more
Communities are strong when their citizens are empowered
A strong leader is not enough — everyone needs to be involved and informed for communities to thrive
Reading Time: 3 minutes Community development is more than economic or social projects. It is the empowerment of people so they have resilience when faced with change and challenge. After completing my courses on rural community development with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations, I thought about what resilience might mean and how we can […] Read more
Win a trip to national farm business conference
Submit your entry by Oct. 19
Reading Time: < 1 minute Young farmers interested in attending the Agricultural Excellence Conference in November can win an all-expenses-paid trip by entering the ‘Y We Farm’ video contest. Entrants must produce a video, one minute or less, based on the theme, ‘If you could tell a consumer one thing, what would it be?’ Those entering the contest must be […] Read more
China expects its U.S. agricultural imports to fall sharply
Beijing | Reuters – China’s imports of U.S. agricultural products will fall sharply once Beijing implements retaliatory trade measures and the country is able to cover its demand for cooking oil and animal feed, vice agriculture minister Han Jun said on Friday. The trade dispute will have a limited impact on China’s agriculture sector, but hit its U.S. counterparts […] Read more
Why Alberta gets more than its fair share of hail
The number or size of thunderstorms is less important than how close the freezing layer is to the ground
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s time to continue our series of articles on different types of severe summer weather. I like to re-examine these topics every year or two due to the importance of understanding the different types of severe weather, and also because most people find this aspect of weather so fascinating. In this issue we are going to […] Read more
The market is shaky but there’s still a lot of pulse acres out there
India’s absence has pushed down acres, but Alberta is still growing one of its largest-ever crops
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pea and lentil prices have crashed, but Alberta farmers are still growing a lot of pulses. “Everything that happened in India caused a shock, not only to Canada, but globally,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse Growers. The peak year for pulse production in Alberta was two years ago, and acreage has dropped […] Read more
Nominate an outstanding volunteer for a Stars award
Nomination deadline is Sept. 21
Reading Time: < 1 minute Nominations for the 2018 Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards are now open. The awards recognize extraordinary Albertans whose volunteer efforts have contributed to the well-being of their community and fellow community members. Two awards are given in three categories: youth, adults, and seniors. Those receiving the award will have exemplified the spirit of community service; […] Read more
Canadian merchandise exports reach all-time high
CNS Canada – Exports of Canadian merchandise reached an all-time high of C$50.699 billion in June of this year with exports of farm, fishing and intermediate food products making up $C2.981 billion of that. Statistics Canada reported on Aug. 7 that farm, fishing and intermediate food product exports rose 7.6 per cent year over year, […] Read more
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