Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s Courtney Taylor is one of four winners of 4-H Canada’s Leadership Excellence Awards of Distinction. The $20,000 scholarship is awarded to students who “demonstrate 4-H values in the way they live their lives” and have become exceptional leaders through the program. Recipients are also paired with a mentor to help guide them in their […] Read more
Albertan wins $20,000 4-H scholarship
Pricey farm machinery and soft commodity prices don’t add up
Sales plunge as farm equipment prices and grain prices head in opposite directions
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farm equipment sales in Canada dropped off significantly last year as farmers faced bad weather and even worse commodity prices. “In short, (equipment sales) are not good. There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” said Curt Blades, senior vice-president of agricultural services for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “Net farm income in Canada is down pretty […] Read more
Cleanfarms opens office in Lethbridge
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cleanfarms has opened an Alberta office in Lethbridge. The national stewardship organization is best known for its ag-plastics recycling programs for pesticide and fertilizer jugs and totes as well as grain bags. The organization, which has offices in Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan, has hired environmental scientist Davin Johnson for the Lethbridge operation. Johnson grew up […] Read more
Ag students can win $2,500 scholarship
Application deadline is April 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute A $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to an Alberta ag student this spring thanks to the Canadian Agri-Business Education Foundation. The foundation gives out seven $2,500 Pathways to Agri-Food Scholarships awards each year to students entering or currently pursuing an agricultural or agri-food-related program at a Canadian college, university or technical institution. Applicants will be […] Read more
NYC equity firm to buy Xplornet
New investment expected to speed up rural broadband rollouts
A Manhattan private equity firm deep in “middle-market infrastructure” has committed to buy, and help improve service from, Canada’s single biggest rural broadband provider. New Brunswick-based, privately held Xplornet Communications announced Thursday it has signed a deal to sell majority control itself to Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. The two companies’ announcement didn’t put a dollar figure […] Read more
Be prepared when negotiating with oil and gas companies
Understand the process and gather all the evidence you can to support your claim, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the game of getting compensation for surface rights, oil and gas companies hold most of the cards. “I would liken it to a good poker game where you only get the low cards,” said Graham Gilchrist, owner of Gilchrist Consulting in Leduc. “Sure, you could get a straight with a whole bunch of aces […] Read more
The complicated calculus of climate change
While Canadian farmers may see a longer growing season, there may be more pests and less rain
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farming and food production will be changed as a result of climate change — but the how is a complicated question. “Agriculture is a unique sector,” University of B.C. Professor Navin Ramankutty said earlier this month during this year’s edition of the Bentley Lecture in Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Alberta. “Agriculture is a […] Read more
Cashing in on carbon: It’s coming, says expert
Big multinationals are vowing to reduce their carbon footprint and this will create an opportunity for farmers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta farmers lead the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions — they just don’t get paid for it, says an expert in the carbon-credit market. But that’s starting to change, said Jon Alcock, sustainability specialist at Viresco Solutions, a company that develops carbon credits and “carbon intensity scores.” “On a global scene, Alberta has been […] Read more
Bank signs on as launch sponsor for ALUS Canada’s New Acre program
“We know that restoring nature on the landscape has many benefits for both farmers and their communities..."
Reading Time: 3 minutes Three hundred acres of farmland across Canada will be transformed into conservation projects thanks to a sizable sponsorship from TD Bank Group to ALUS Canada’s New Acre program. “The TD sponsorship is an indication that the private sector recognizes the value of this kind of work and is willing to put money behind it,” said […] Read more
‘Rare event’ 100 years in the making
Reading Time: 2 minutes It was quite a surprise for Harry Shierman during his 100th birthday celebration in December when his family presented him with a Century Farm and Ranch plaque. Harry’s father had purchased the Kathryn-area farm in January 1919, and it was Quincy Shierman, Harry’s granddaughter-in-law, who applied for the award. “I thought it would be pretty […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
