Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: Nov. 26, 2019] A new and innovative effort to save prime Alberta cropland from being turned into another suburb or industrial site is close to becoming a reality. Grain farmer Kim Good and lawyer-rancher Stan Carscallen say the Alberta Farmland Trust should be a registered charity by early in the coming year. And they’re […] Read more
New farmland trust aims to preserve good soil
Tax treatment key to saving cropland
McDonald’s reiterates beef support during Beyond Meat test-drive
The world’s biggest burger chain has aimed to reassure Canadian beef producers that its trial run of a plant-based burger doesn’t mark a retreat from the company’s primary protein. McDonald’s CEO John Betts, in a statement issued Friday directly to “our valued partners in the beef industry,” said he wants beef producers “to hear from […] Read more
UN report on livestock and climate change gets lost in translation
Panel of climate change experts say meat production must be sustainable — but few noted that distinction
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Eat less meat” was the phrase of choice for describing a new report from the United Nations’ climate change panel. Those three words appeared in headlines in publications such as Time magazine, the National Post, and the Times of London. But the report itself said something different, said the science director of the Beef Cattle […] Read more
Group honoured for sustainable beef effort
Reading Time: < 1 minute The organization that brought together producers, food retailers, conservation groups, and others to create a system for producing sustainable beef has been honoured by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The efforts by the founding council and members of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef have resulted in “transformational change in the Canadian beef industry,” the cattle […] Read more
Crop sector eyes code of practice to showcase stewardship credentials
The initiative has widespread support among farm groups and industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s early days, but work has begun on developing a code of practice for field crops — a move aimed at reassuring consumers that producers are using sustainable methods to grow food. “It’s basically on the idea level — we’ve done a little bit of work on what it could potentially look like, but it’s […] Read more
Farming insects may solve one problem, create others
Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Insects have great potential as an alternative source of protein, but further research is urgently needed before mass production begins in order to avoid environmental disaster, Swedish researchers warned Monday. There is currently an “overwhelming lack of knowledge” on basic questions such as suitable species, their housing and feed […] Read more
Sustainable beef will become the new standard for producers worldwide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Carmen White, 15, of Claresholm was the junior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. Her topic was: What is sustainability and why does it matter to Canadian agriculture? Canadian agriculture is constantly evolving to meet the needs of society. Beef producers, like myself and my family, have a […] Read more
Sustainability comes in many forms — all of them important
Reading Time: 4 minutes Kara Oosterhuis, 21, of Bow Island was the senior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. Her topic was: What is sustainability and why does it matter to Canadian agriculture? We live off the land. I live off the land. You live off the land. Sustainability is vital to […] Read more
Website offers sustainability self-assessment
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s four crop commissions have launched a new Farm Sustainability Readiness website tool for farmers considering obtaining sustainability certification. “Companies like Walmart, General Mills, and McDonald’s are looking to source sustainable ingredients to meet the growing expectations from stakeholders to be more responsible for their suppliers’ social, ethical, and environmental practices,” Alberta Wheat said in […] Read more
A new dawn? Sustainable beef puts money in producers’ pockets
It’s only $10 a cow, but pilot marks the first time producers have been paid for their stewardship efforts
Reading Time: 4 minutes The first rubber-meets-the-road test of the years-long effort to make sustainable beef a paying proposition has been a success. After three months of testing, the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration pilot project has shown that tracing certified sustainable cattle and beef through the supply chain is possible at current volumes. “It’s one of the first times […] Read more
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