Reading Time: 5 minutes A federal cash injection of $1.7 billion will help clean up Alberta’s mess of orphan oil and gas wells. “We were already planning to have a very busy 2020, and this is going to help us continue doing the work that we’re doing,” said Lars De Pauw, executive director of the Orphan Well Association. The […] Read more
Orphan well cleanup gets $1.7 billion from Ottawa
Move to deal with long-standing problem welcomed but bid to use sites for solar arrays may get lost in shuffle
Advancing Women conferences join Glacier FarmMedia
Agricultural publisher Glacier FarmMedia is expanding its events division at both ends of the country with a major networking event for women in agriculture and agribusiness. The Winnipeg publishing house, which owns and operates this website, announced Thursday it acquired the two Advancing Women in Agriculture Conferences (AWC) — and has hired AWC’s founder, conference […] Read more
Pandemic threatens federal field research this year
But crop commissions urge AgCanada to follow example of universities, private researchers
Reading Time: 2 minutes COVID-19 threatens to sideline Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s field, greenhouse and lab research this year, but Prairie wheat and barley commissions that help to fund it want as many projects as possible to go ahead. In a statement issued April 24, AgCanada seemed to all but rule out field work this spring. “In response to […] Read more
Protective equipment in short supply, some child care centres open
Reading Time: < 1 minute Most agricultural retailers are no longer stocking personal protective equipment and some farmers are reporting they’ve been unable to obtain gloves, masks, and other protective equipment, as well as cleaning agents. However, the provincial government has created a plan for getting these supplies to farmers. At this stage it is not known how quickly the […] Read more
A virtual farm walk spreads joy far and wide
Reading Time: 3 minutes A little project that started as a way for a family farm to communicate with friends and relatives has become a way to showcase agriculture to the world. Charlotte Wasylik of Chatsworth Farm near Vermilion, made a livestream video tour of her family farm on Facebook Live near the end of March. “We were originally […] Read more
Creating food security requires innovative approaches
It’s not a matter of providing food but finding long-lasting solutions that fit the needs of communities
Reading Time: 3 minutes The fear environment that we live in at this time now goes beyond disease and disaster. For many it is simply a question of finding enough food to eat or drink. As persons of privilege in a First World country, how can we engage in solutions that are transformative and transferable? This past winter I […] Read more
Spring brings special joy
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ag for Life is running its Farm Babies photo contest earlier this year and “hoping to bring some of this joy into people’s lives during these difficult and unprecedented times.” The contest celebrates the arrival of spring and shines a spotlight on the efforts of farmers and their families in caring for their new arrivals. […] Read more
In these troubled times, ag shows it has a ‘really bright future ahead’
The sector won’t have to ‘restart’ and it’s shown the world it can be counted on, says economist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s agriculture industry could prove to be the silver lining to these COVID-19 storm clouds once the sky clears again. “There’s no doubt about it — the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting Alberta really hard,” Rob Roach, director of research for ATB’s economics team, said in an April 8 interview. “We are in a recessionary situation, […] Read more
Farming through the pandemic: A ‘Between the Rows’ podcast special
How is COVID-19 affecting different sectors of the ag industry? Listen to this special Between the Rows four-part podcast series on farming through the pandemic covering topics such as the impact to the agricultural economy, the challenges it presents for Canadian farmers and livestock producers and more. Farming through the pandemic: Part 1 Laura Rance […] Read more
It’s a whole new ball game for research associations this spring
Pandemic isn’t having a big impact on field trials but crop walks are very much up in the air
Reading Time: 4 minutes Field trials will go ahead — but showing them off to farmers will all depend, say the province’s research organizations. “There’s been a backing off of group activities,” said Allan Hall, executive director of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta, the umbrella group for six research and two forage associations. “In terms of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
