Shot in the arm for efforts to improve water access on both sides of the border is the goal for new agreement
A catastrophic failure of a Montana irrigation structure in 2020, which saw the Milk River dry up on both sides of the United States-Canada border, may not have been the driver of a new study into a 100-year-old international water agreement. But it provides fodder for why it’s needed. The four-year international study announced in […] Read moreIrrigation
Irrigation report lists value of Alberta investment
Alberta’s irrigation production remains a strong and stable part of the farming industry, says AIDA report
Irrigation in southern Alberta continues to contribute a disproportionate level of profits on cultivated acres, according to a new report commissioned by the province’s association representing irrigation districts. While irrigated acres in Alberta’s 13 districts represent less than five percent of the province’s cultivated land, they produce 17 percent of gross farm sales from crop […] Read moreHot, dry or both?Crop physiology under stress
Can we breed crops to tolerate both heat and drought, surviving the worst of what a growing season can do?
What exactly happens to an individual plant in your field when Mother Nature turns up the thermostat and the dehumidifier at the same time? It kills. In fact, it is a long and painful death for the plant, and there’s nothing we can do except hope for rain. That was the theme of Rosalind Buekert’s […] Read moreBig winds hit Prairies hard
Howling winds topping out at 140 kilometres per hour caused extreme driving conditions in southwestern Alberta last week, with at least a dozen semi-trucks being reported blown off the road while a wildfire in the M.D. of Ranchlands burned out of control Wednesday morning. Downed power lines due to the extreme winds in the area […] Read more
Researchers continue to fine-tune irrigation
The Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre in Outlook updated producers on 2021 research projects during two recent virtual field days. Even under irrigation, the drought affected some of the projects. Gursahib Singh, co-research director at the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corp., was trying to study fungicide application timing to prevent fusarium head blight in winter wheat, durum, […] Read more
More funding committed to Alberta irrigation
Provincial government says new money will help expand system, but environmentalists raise questions about project
A further $117.7 million is being provided to modernize irrigation infrastructure and increase water storage in southern Alberta, boosting to nearly $1 billion what was already one of the largest irrigation expansions in the province’s history. The money is being made available through a partnership between the provincial government, the federal Canada Infrastructure Bank, and […] Read more
B.C. floods shine spotlight on AgriRecovery
The likelihood of the AgriRecovery disaster relief program being triggered for the second time in British Columbia in only a few months is highlighting ongoing discussions to improve risk management for Canadian producers in the face of climate change. Although “we’ve shown that this program can react very quickly,” officials have been eyeing ways to […] Read more
Report recommends Eastern Slopes coal ban
New study comes as the Alberta government extends the deadline for its coal development review to the end of the year
The Alberta government should consider banning coal mining in the Eastern Slopes because the negative impact on sectors such as agriculture will outweigh the economic benefits, says a University of Calgary report. “Alberta’s history with coal development goes back to 1874, but 21st century social, economic and environmental factors demonstrate that it’s not in the […] Read more
Biology protects corrodible irrigation pipes
Oxidation within aluminum irrigation pipes is a secret enemy. If you don’t see corrosion, then maybe it’s not that bad. Until it leaks or loses structural integrity and then snaps. But maybe the invisible enemy can be that bad, according to Scott Bryan, technical sales manager for Cortec Corp. in Minnesota. Cortec specializes in biological […] Read more
More funding committed to Alberta irrigation
A further $117.7 million is being provided to modernize irrigation infrastructure and increase water storage in southern Alberta, boosting to nearly $1 billion what was already one of the largest irrigation expansions in the province’s history. The money is being made available through a partnership between the provincial government, the federal Canada Infrastructure Bank, and […] Read more
