MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half […] Read more
Alberta issues final crop report for year
Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type
New guide on managing straw
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s cereal groups along with their prairie counterparts have created a straw management guide. The six-page primer covers nutrient content, how nutrients are released, the value of organic matter, and methods for managing excess straw and residue. The nutrient portion of the guide looks at how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur is typically found […] Read more
Klassen: Feedlots struggle through adverse weather
Western Canadian yearling prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $5-$8 with some pockets deteriorating $10 to as much as $12. Adverse weather in southern Alberta has resulted in limited buying interest from main feedlot operators. Feedlot Alley has received 150-200 per cent of normal precipitation over the past 60 days. Snow and rain, along with […] Read more
Hay shortage could make for difficult winter
CNS Canada — Many cattle producers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, according to a Saskatchewan provincial forage specialist. However, producers further north in the grey and black soil zones, and those in Alberta producing high-quality feed for export, saw near-record hay production. Terry Kowalchuk of Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina […] Read more
Put more jingle in your jeans this winter
Shopping around, alternative feeds, and how you store your hay can make a huge difference to the bottom line
Reading Time: 3 minutes With cattle prices off their record highs, many producers are sharpening their pencils. And it can be well worth it. “We have to watch our input costs — that’s the one thing we can control,” said Dean Dyck, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “If our incomes go up but our […] Read more
Pea straw is a feed solution but it presents challenges
How much do you pay for it? And how do you use it in your ration?
Reading Time: 2 minutes A shortage of feed has prompted many producers to bale pea straw. “In travelling around Alberta, it seems that a lot of field pea straw has been baled,” said Mark Olson, unit head of pulse crops with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in Stony Plain. “However, many producers selling or purchasing field pea straw for feed […] Read more
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