Reading Time: < 1 minute Barr Estate Winery near Sherwood Park has been producing fruit wines since 2009, but the farm’s cattle were the big draw for the younger set during this year’s edition of Alberta Open Farm Days. Despite the pandemic, more than 80 farms and other ag enterprises participated this year, giving visitors a welcome break during a […] Read more
Getting to know each other
4-H will continue to play to its strengths, says new CEO
The pandemic has challenged the organization but also shown its strengths, says Kurt Kinnear
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kurt Kinnear never participated in 4-H in his youth, but he can’t wait to dig in now. The new CEO of 4-H Alberta has, however, been involved with youth programming for most of his life. “It sounds cliché, but youth are our future,” said Kinnear. “There are some kids that I’ve met who are really […] Read more
Ag minister creates youth advisory council
Reading Time: < 1 minute B Pratyusha Chennupati and Carling Matejka are the two Alberta reps on the new Canadian Agricultural Youth Council. The group of 25 young people was created to advise Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on matters such as “food-related challenges and opportunities” and “the strengths and weaknesses of policies and programs affecting the agriculture and agri-food sectors.” […] Read more
How’s the weather on your farm?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is seeking volunteers to submit weather and climate reports for their farm for the online tool called the Agroclimate Impact Reporter. The weather data is used to better understand local and regional conditions, and to help identify emerging trends and anomalies. It is also used for programs such as AgriRecovery and […] Read more
Locust swarming pheromone identified in step toward curbing plagues
Washington | Reuters — Scientists have identified a chemical compound released by locusts that causes them to swarm, opening the door to possible new ways to prevent these insects from devouring crops vital to human sustenance as they have for millennia. Researchers said on Wednesday they identified the pheromone — that is, a chemical produced […] Read more
Grain rescue equipment to be given to fire departments
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rural fire departments that have taken BeGrainSafe training from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association are eligible to receive life-saving grain rescue equipment. Thanks to support from Corteva Agriscience Canada, rural fire departments can receive a GSI RES-Q-TUBE and a Haul-ALL pencil auger. The grain rescue tube creates a barrier between the victim and the grain […] Read more
Cannabis industry readies for M+A after COVID-19 boosts weed demand
Companies betting on U.S. market growth after election
Reuters — After nearly a year of next-to-no dealmaking, cannabis companies are gearing up for mergers and acquisitions (M+A) as realistic stock valuations and the prospect of U.S. legalization attract buyers to a sector that has been decimated by oversupply and other issues, executives and investors say. Profitable cannabis companies want to buy their way […] Read more
North American ammonium nitrate laws best in world, Nutrien CEO says
Winnipeg | Reuters — North America’s regulations for handling ammonium nitrate, a potentially explosive product used in fertilizer and in the mining industry, are the strictest in the world, the CEO of Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien said Tuesday. An ammonium nitrate stockpile exploded last week in Beirut killing at least 171 people, injuring 6,000 and […] Read more
Who owned the chemicals that blew up Beirut? No one will say
The fertilizer's Georgian producer has since been dissolved; the ship that brought it to Lebanon sank in 2018
Moscow/Dubai/London | Reuters — In the murky story of how a cache of highly explosive ammonium nitrate ended up on the Beirut waterfront, one thing is clear — no one has ever publicly come forward to claim it. There are many unanswered questions surrounding last week’s huge, deadly blast in the Lebanese capital, but ownership […] Read more
Now is the second-best time to create your business plan
Business plans boost profitability but during a crisis, they also help you ‘sleep at night’
Reading Time: 3 minutes COVID-19 has a lot of farmers dusting off their risk management strategies, but if a business plan isn’t part of that, you’re likely sacrificing your bottom line — and your peace of mind. “We know that farmers are very stressed, but we also know that business planning can help,” said Heather Watson, executive director of […] Read more