Reading Time: 3 minutes The current state of Canada’s barley industry is grim. “Barley’s piece of the pie is shrinking,” said Shannon Sereda, manager of market development and policy for Alberta Barley. “It’s no longer in a dominant position like it once was in Western Canada.” Barley acres across the Prairies have been in a long-term decline, Sereda said […] Read more
Bold new plan aims to generate some new love for barley
New action plan targets seven million barley acres and yields of 95 bushels per acre by 2028
How to hand over a labour of love to the next generation
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s not only family farms facing the succession challenge these days. Community efforts such as Growing Projects for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are looking to the future to see if they’ve inspired the next generation to carry on the cause. One such venture finds itself in the middle of the process. The Brownfield and District […] Read more
What’s fair when it comes to renting farmland?
There are two common methods for determining fair rent — and neither involves coffee-shop talk
Reading Time: 2 minutes How do you know if the rent you’re paying — or charging — for farmland is fair and reasonable? “Often, people use what others are charging or paying in the local area,” said farm business management specialist Dean Dyck. “Following this approach has pitfalls because the rate may not be reflective of the soil productivity […] Read more
Hall of Fame nominations open
Deadline for nominations is April 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations to honour individuals who have made significant contributions to the province’s ag sector. Up to three individuals are inducted into the hall every two years. Since 1951, 132 people have been inducted from every area of agriculture for achievements such as groundbreaking farming techniques, scientific […] Read more
Find the key numbers that tell the tale
Using financial indicators and benchmarks gives you the straight goods on how your operation is doing
Reading Time: 2 minutes Some easy-to-calculate ratios can give you a quick idea of the health of your farm or ranch. “The Simple Farm Ratio Analyzer is a shortcut Excel program that takes just eight key financial entries and calculates financial ratios for the farm/ranch and colour codes them in comparison to industry benchmarks,” said Rick Dehod, a provincial […] Read more
Financial industry veteran is new head of AFSC
Agriculture minister says scandal that engulfed the crop insurer won’t happen again
Reading Time: 2 minutes A financial industry veteran is the new CEO of the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation. “This marks the final chapter in what I like to call a new beginning for AFSC,” Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier said in announcing the appointment of Steve Blakely. In June 2016, the crop insurer’s former CEO was suspended with pay after […] Read more
Morriss, Pakosh, Streichs named to ag hall of fame
The Manitoba farmers who developed the rotary separator for combines, the co-founder of Versatile and the long-time editorial director for the website you’re reading are bound for Manitoba’s Agricultural Hall of Fame. The hall of fame on Monday unofficially announced its 2018 group of inductees, ahead of its annual meeting Wednesday in Portage la Prairie […] Read more
Interest in soil health is growing, but testing still lags
It’s only a minority of producers who are soil sampling and that mystifies a provincial crop specialist
Reading Time: < 1 minute Some producers may be looking at soil health a little differently, but there are still not a lot of them taking soil samples, says a provincial crop specialist. “Soil sampling gives you an evaluation of the nutrient levels in your soil,” said Mark Cutts of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Stettler office. “If you know that […] Read more
Fields with wireworms needed for 2018 research
The beetle larvae can live in the soil for up to five years, and there are no insecticides available to control
Reading Time: 2 minutes Wireworms are a big problem in Alberta fields, and an entomologist is seeking help from farmers to find ways to control them. “We have a lot to learn about wireworms,” said Haley Catton who works at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research station. “We need to do a lot more research to figure out how […] Read more
Stay safe on the roads this growing season
Reading Time: < 1 minute An updated version of Safe Transportation of Farm Equipment is now available for free. The booklet has information on road and transportation safety for farm equipment, including regulations and detailed instructions on signage and markings. There is also a new section on power line safety and high load moves. It takes 36 seconds for a […] Read more
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