Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers who aren’t getting cash advances to reduce their interest expenses should take another look at the federal program, says a provincial crops market analyst. The Advance Payments Program, as its formally called, has been expanded over the years and now covers a wider range of farming operations but “many producers do not take advantage […] Read more
Take advantage of cash advances, says expert
Right now, producers can get a loan of up to $250,000 interest free
There’s something for everyone on Alberta’s menu of agriculture podcasts
Reading Time: 4 minutes The amount of information and education available to farmers is not unlike Alberta landscapes — mountains of video, valleys of print and plains of online content that stretch to the horizon. It can be overwhelming but podcasts provide a convenient window into local and global issues that matter to prairie farmers. Cows on the Planet […] Read more
Schoepp: The business of carbon credits is murky and risky
The payments are small and the agreements are often complex and ill-defined
Reading Time: 3 minutes In overall climate discussion, there is constant reference to trade in terms of carbon sequestration known as carbon credits. This is a global movement in carbon offsets under an assumption that the land, sea, and forests will absorb all carbon from total greenhouse gases. Does this benefit Canadian farmers and consumers? It’s a complex matter […] Read more
Opinion: It’s not just oil production that’s keeping diesel prices high
Refinery production has fallen since the pandemic, and that’s unlikely to change
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Global shortages of middle distillates such as diesel, gas oil and heating oil are intensifying rather than easing, making it more likely a relatively severe slowdown in the business cycle will be necessary to rebalance the market. U.S. inventories of distillate fuel oil fell to 106 million barrels in early October, the lowest […] Read more
Olds College offers digital ag degree program
Reading Time: < 1 minute Starting next fall, Olds College will offer a Bachelor of Digital Agriculture degree through a program created in collaboration with industry. “Students will engage in real-world problems and explore solutions using digital agriculture technologies and practices,” the college said in a release. “Graduates will be prepared to lead disruptive change in agriculture with a grounding […] Read more
Horner back as ag minister, Toews returns to finance in new cabinet
The ag ministry is being revamped again, with forestry split off and irrigation added
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nate Horner has returned as Alberta agriculture minister but his portfolio has been revamped by new Premier Danielle Smith. Formerly the minister of agriculture, forestry and rural economic development, Horner is now minister of agriculture and irrigation. “I look forward to building on our government’s historic investment of nearly $1 billion in irrigation infrastructure and […] Read more
Federal climate cash gets a welcome from producers here
Many farmers had rotational grazing, cover crops or nitrogen management on their to-do list
Reading Time: 3 minutes Federal climate cash is flowing out the door and being put to work on rotational grazing, cover cropping or nitrogen management projects on Alberta farms. “We’ve been out on a couple of farms to see projects and talk to people,” said Fiona Briody, program manager for RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research). “There are just really […] Read more
The price of farmland is defying interest rate hikes – so far
Buyers still bid up land but latest figures don’t reflect full impact of higher lending rates
Reading Time: 3 minutes Despite significant interest rate hikes, the price of farmland kept shooting up in the first half of the year. Land prices jumped 5.9 per cent in Alberta in the first six months of 2022, according to the latest data from Farm Credit Canada, and that was smallest rise on the Prairies. Prices were up an […] Read more
Schoepp: What produces more waste — a feedlot or a cruise ship?
Feedlot waste gets a lot of scrutiny by consumers while shipping gets a free pass
Reading Time: 3 minutes During a recent agricultural discussion, the chat centred around the public’s perception of animal agriculture and waste. As I had recently been at sea, our conversation shifted to the ocean being used as a dumping ground for human sewage and other waste. I became curious. What produces more waste — a feedlot or a ship, […] Read more
Farmland prices remain buoyant in the face of interest rate hikes
Despite significant interest rate hikes, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is reporting continued increases in farmland values across Canada. According to the FCC report, Manitoba’s average farmland values increased by 6 per cent in the first six months of 2022. Alberta values were just behind that at 5.9 per cent and Saskatchewan was just above the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
