Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture for Life has launched an all-new Rural Safety Unit, which will travel to schools, communities, fairs, festivals and other events to educate, encourage, and promote rural and farm safety. The unit has seven interactive stations dealing with hazard identification, large animals, large equipment, utilities, risk assessment, chemicals, and protective equipment. It will operate from […] Read more
Want the Rural Safety Unit to visit your community?
Plan your summer break now — you’ll be happy you did
Reading Time: < 1 minute Can’t keep track of all the fairs, festivals, and summer happenings in rural Alberta? Of course, there’s an app for that — just visit this page and download the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies app. At last count, there were more than 120 event listings at albertaagsocieties.ca, stretching from May right through to Christmas. Summer […] Read more
A treasure trove of weather info awaits
Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers can get near-real-time weather info and nearly six decades of archived data at the Alberta Climate Information Service (ACIS). “With more than 350 weather stations to choose from, you should be able to find one close enough to you to be approximate to the conditions you are experiencing,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. […] Read more
Alberta’s organic heartland wants to bring more farmers on board
Two-year initiative will assist both existing growers and those wanting to transition to organic production
Reading Time: 2 minutes Being Alberta’s most northerly rural municipality isn’t Mackenzie County’s only claim to fame. “Right now, Mackenzie County has the highest number of organic farmers,” said Jacob Marfo, manager and research director of the Mackenzie Applied Research Association, (MARA). And the region may soon have more. MARA and Organic Alberta, with support from the county and […] Read more
Last chance for 4-H early birders
Early pricing available until May 15
Reading Time: < 1 minute Registration for 4-H Alberta’s summer programs, camps, and show registrations are now open, with early pricing available until May 15. Early registration offers savings of up to $80. Among the offerings are: Junior Camp: July 8-12 and July 29-Aug. 2 Combined Camp: July 15-19 and Aug. 12-16 Intermediate Camp: July 22-26 AIM Camp: Aug. 5-10 […] Read more
Still just taking pretty pictures? Drones could be making you money
It’s taken a while but more and more producers are discovering ways to boost their profits with drones
Reading Time: 7 minutes Mike Barrett was trying to find a practical use for a pricey toy when he decided to fly his drone over his feedlot to count his cattle. That was when his purchase paid off. “With the average gain of the cattle, we easily paid for the drone in the first year that we counted that […] Read more
Farmland prices double in last five years
Many farmers thought prices were out of whack in 2013, but time has proven they were wrong
Reading Time: 5 minutes How expensive is Alberta farmland? Try double what it was just five years ago. “Over the last five years, we’ve seen cash farm receipts going up across the country and especially in Alberta,” said Joel Bokenfohr, manager of business structures and financial policy with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We have a strong farm economy where […] Read more
Farmers benefit from business etiquette, too
Reading Time: 4 minutes For some, just hearing the word ‘etiquette’ is enough to send cold shivers down their spine. It brings up memories of motherly commands — such as, ‘Keep your elbows off the table!’ or, ‘For God’s sake, chew with your mouth closed!’ — or conjures up pictures of fancy dinners with white-gloved waiters and six different […] Read more
Report looks at the benefits of irrigation expansion
Study says irrigating dryland would produce big economic benefits but would need government support
Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent report from the Alberta Land Institute highlights the economic benefits of expanding Alberta’s irrigation system and offers improved forecasting of agricultural and irrigation needs. The report, entitled Systems modelling for sustainable land and water policy in Alberta’s irrigation sector, was prepared by Evan Davies, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University […] Read more
Flood protection offers win-win for irrigators
New reservoir could protect both Calgary from catastrophic flood while increasing supply for irrigation
Reading Time: 3 minutes The 2013 “super flood” that hit southern Alberta was the country’s costliest natural disaster — with the bill for damages and recovery measures topping $6 billion. Now, a new report says there are ways to both prevent a similar disaster and also help mitigate the impact of drought. The Bow River Working Group — composed […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
