CFA receives funding for sustainability
Ottawa plans to invest $560,000 over three years for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to develop the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative.
The initiative is expected to provide Canadian farmers and processors an online portal to meet the growing demand for proof of sustainability from customers.
The funding will be used to create a single location for data on agri-food sustainability, which will provide a forum where producers and processors can share information and connect with new networks.
It will also serve as a base to track the sustainability of the Canadian agri-food industry compared to international standards.
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Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
It will also support food producers’ use of label claims about the safety and quality of their food products.
U of S appoints agronomy chair
Maryse Bourgault is the first Western Grains Research Foundation Integrated Agronomy Chair at the University of Saskatchewan.
Bourgault comes from the Northern Agricultural Research Centre at Montana State University and will hold a joint appointment in the plant sciences and soil science departments in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.
Bourgault has a background in environmental sciences and plans to improve soil management and increase crop production potential and sustainability.
FCC AgriSpirit Fund applications sought
Applications are being accepted for Farm Credit Canada’s FCC AgriSpirit Fund, which will award $1.5 million this year.
Registered charities and non-profit organizations in rural Canada have until March 31 to apply and FCC will announce the selected projects in August.
For the past 16 years, FCC has supported 1,263 capital projects in rural Canada totalling $15 million in donations.
Examples include capital expenditures on equipment purchases, energy efficient building improvements and repairs, and purchasing rescue and fire equipment.
Rural community groups can view eligibility requirements and past projects and apply online by visiting www.fccagrispiritfund.ca.
Producers needed for parasite study
Cattle producers are being sought to assist in an internal parasite study of yearlings.
Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are entering into the second year of a two-year study to find the answer to the question, “does it pay to deworm pastured yearling cattle?”
The following criteria must be met to participate in the study:
- Cattle can be either yearling heifers or steers.
- There must be at least 100 head per group.
- The cattle cannot be dewormed within two months of turn-out.
- Must have facilities to weigh and sample the cattle at turn-out and again at round-up.
After the first year’s study, it appears treated cattle did much better than untreated, but on some farms there was no difference.
Producers who start and finish the trial will be payed $1,000 for every group of cattle enrolled in the study.
Farmers will be provided with a general report on all the farms and a customized report on animals: average daily gain and parasite burdens.
For more information, contact Murray Jelinski at 306-270-9118 or Grant Royan at 306-527-2441.
