Reading Time: 3 minutes Biostimulants work. Sort of. Sometimes. Depending. Dubbed the ‘vitamin supplements of farming,’ there are a wide range of biostimulants and they work — or don’t — in a host of different ways. Sometimes they’re worth applying and sometimes not, suggests a three-year study by Farming Smarter. “We did see an increase in yield for some […] Read more
It’s still ‘wait and see’ country when it comes to biostimulants
A multi-year study has found some products work sometimes on some crops -- but it’s hit-and-miss
Squeezed and struggling: Research groups desperate for funding
Farmer-led groups say producers rely on their work but they’re hamstrung by inadequate, short-term funding
Reading Time: 6 minutes Alberta farmers need local, practical research but applied research associations say they’ve been hamstrung by a lack of provincial funding — and some may have to pack it in if that doesn’t change soon. “A lot of the groups are kind of squeezed to the point where, if we don’t get something secured right now, […] Read more
Study finds big payoff on wheat research
Reading Time: < 1 minute And a trio of Prairie organizations that fund research say that every dollar they invested generates a return of $33 through varietal improvements. The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (which includes Alberta Wheat) and two other farmer-led research organizations worked with two USask economists on the study. “Our measure is conservative because we don’t include many […] Read more
Cannabis firms catch whiff of opportunity in Brazil
Canadian producers among those now supplying Brazilian market
Sao Paulo | Reuters — International cannabis companies are showing interest in Brazil, both its large consumer market for medicinal products and a proposal that could legalize planting of the crop. Major producers such as Colombia’s Clever Leaves and Canada’s Canopy Growth are developing and selling medicinal cannabis products to a Brazilian consumer segment estimated […] Read more
Alberta colleges strike an alliance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lethbridge College and Olds College have signed an agreement to work co-operatively on applied research. The memorandum of understanding will sometimes see the two colleges conduct joint projects but will also have them “refer companies to each other based on the best fit with infrastructure and research expertise, and share relevant data and data networks.” […] Read more
BAT looks beyond tobacco to Canadian marijuana
Lucky Strike cigarette maker buys into Moncton's Organigram
Reuters — British American Tobacco (BAT) said Thursday it will buy a nearly 20 per cent stake in New Brunswick-based cannabis producer Organigram for about 126 million pounds (C$221.3 million) as it seeks to expand beyond its main tobacco business. Organigram, headquartered at Moncton, grows cannabis and makes cannabis-derived products in the Canadian market, where […] Read more
Bibeau promises help to farmers on rising carbon tax
Funds expected to help farmers cut emissions
A steadily rising carbon tax has a lot of Western Canada’s grain farmers wondering how they’ll compete in world markets against competitors not subjected to a similar tax. “I think the world market is also looking towards a greener economy and always more sustainable agriculture,” federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said when the question was […] Read more
Feds back pork producers with new levy on imports
New national pork agency to be up and running next summer
A new agency will use funds from a new levy on imported pork to pay for research and promotion for the Canadian pork sector. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau on Thursday officially announced the creation of the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA). The Farm Products Council of Canada (FPCC) and Agriculture and […] Read more
Lethbridge scientist named outstanding cattle researcher
Karen Beauchemin is a leading global authority on ruminant nutrition
Reading Time: 2 minutes A leader in ruminant nutrition and environmental sustainability of beef production has been awarded the 2020 Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. Karen Beauchemin is a principal research scientist of ruminant nutrition at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge station as well as an adjunct professor at the universities of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and […] Read more
New dean of agriculture named for U of S
Soil science prof Angela Bedard-Haughn takes over Aug. 15
One of Western Canada’s major post-secondary ag institutions will get a new hand at the wheel this summer. The University of Saskatchewan announced Wednesday it has named soil science professor Angela Bedard-Haughn as the dean for its College of Agriculture and Bioresources for a five-year term starting Aug. 15. Raised on a family farm in […] Read more
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