Reading Time: 2 minutes Microplastic pollution is a global environmental problem that is ubiquitous in all environments, including air, water and soil. Microplastics are readily found in treated wastewater sludge, also known as municipal biosolids, that eventually make their way to our agricultural soils. Our recent investigation of microplastic levels in Canadian municipal biosolids found that a single gram […] Read more
How microplastics are making their way into our farmland
Across nine provinces and 22 wastewater treatment plants, the problem was universal
Cleanfarms raises the bar on recycling of ag containers
The stewardship organization wants to recycle 100 per cent of agricultural plastic jugs this year
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the three decades since Cleanfarms began collecting agricultural plastic containers, about 126 million plastic jugs have been recycled into new products instead of being disposed in landfills. The voluntary stewardship program in Prairie communities currently recovers about 65 per cent of the smaller plastic containers (23 litres or smaller) that are placed on the […] Read more
What does the Sustainable Beef Framework involve?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Even the overview of protocols set out in the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework runs nearly 60 pages. But here are a few of the ‘indicators’ for cattle producers from the five areas that the framework covers: Natural Resources One of the goals is to maintain or enhance water quality. To score 1 (a.k.a. Achievement level), […] Read more
Innovation with the most unlikely material shows all is possible
Human waste has always been a problem, but it is increasingly seen as a resource and that’s spurring the creation of new technologies
Reading Time: 3 minutes I still spend a lot of time in airports and love to use that time to read interesting stories on people, places, politics, science, and technology. It brings to light all that is possible in our world. A little writeup caught my eye in regards to human waste which is a growing problem. In many […] Read more
Feeding the planet is challenging, dealing with its waste is even harder
Earth is becoming an urban planet and that raises a host of issues we’ve never had to deal with before
Reading Time: 3 minutes The migration of rural persons to cities hit a historical milestone in 2008 when urban residents outnumbered those in rural areas. The result has been congestion in cities that were ill prepared for this growth and an intense pressure on rural areas to produce more food with less people. The United Nations claims six out […] Read more
Know the rules and think of your neighbours
You don’t need a permit for temporary manure storage, but the rules don’t give you a free pass, either
Reading Time: < 1 minute Temporary storage is a regulated management option that allows a producer to store manure in the field for a short period of time without requiring permits or additional testing. “Temporary sites offer a number of advantages — operators can avoid spreading on snow and frozen ground, can compost the manure, and can minimize the impact […] Read more
CleanFARMS collection begins this week
Reading Time: < 1 minute CleanFARMS is collecting obsolete pesticide and livestock medications this week at 20 locations across the southern part of the province. Farmers can drop off their obsolete materials at a designated collection site at no charge. The products will then be transported to a high-temperature incineration facility for safe disposal. Pickups will occur at four locations […] Read more
Patents boost Alberta biogas company’s plans for expansion
Himark BioGas can now let potential clients independently assess the engineering of its leading-edge technology
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been in the works for about a decade, but North American and international patents have been issued to Alberta-based Himark BioGas International for its unique biogas production technology. It’s a major step for the company, which was created to find a way to use manure from Highland Feeders as a biogas feedstock. “It’s part […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
