Farm groups say more Class 1 commercial drivers would help the agricultural sector compete with other sectors when it comes to hiring
Farm groups are praising an Alberta government initiative announced Nov. 26 that makes it less expensive to obtain a Class 1 commercial truck driver’s licence. A $3 million grant program called Driving Back to Work will see the government cover up to 90 percent of the cost to obtain Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Check-off refunds consistent with previous years: ABP
Alberta Beef Producers also intends to revitalize group’s communications strategy by developing its own magazine
Alberta Beef Producers met through a virtual town hall Nov. 26 as the pandemic continues to alter the usual meetings of farm groups. Financial data indicated that ABP issued 1,066 refunds on the refundable portion of the beef checkoff, totalling $3.2 million. ABP controller Laura Procunier said that amount is consistent with previous years and […] Read more
Improved trailers among new hog innovations
Various innovations in the hog industry are aimed at improved animal health and welfare. Differently designed transport trailers, coughing monitors and geofencing are among them. Dr. Egan Brockhoff, a swine veterinarian, university instructor and consultant with the Canadian Pork Council, provided an overview of recent innovations to a recent meeting of the National Farmed Animal […] Read more
Pandemic tough on fur industry
There are no cases of COVID-19 in Canadian mink farms, but the pandemic illness has nevertheless dealt harsh blows to the industry. Marianne Patten, executive secretary of the Canadian Mink Breeders Association, said the economic effects have been devastating. Active buying of pelts came to a halt early in the pandemic and has only recently […] Read more
New Alberta feedlot to open next year
A new 40,000-head feedlot north of Enchant, Alta., is on pace to start accepting cattle as early as March. Serfas Farms began the project in June and it is expected to be fully complete in the third quarter of 2021. The new build is likely the first large from-scratch feedlot to be built in the […] Read more
Regional ag disaster approach requested
Thirteen rural municipalities in Alberta declared states of agriculture disaster this year but they didn’t trigger financial aid
Thirteen Alberta municipalities declared they were in a state of agricultural disaster this year due to excessive moisture that accumulated this year and the previous two years, hindering crop seeding, development and harvest. Precipitation in some areas was 150 percent of the long-term average in 2020 alone, and for some municipalities, this was the second […] Read more
Foodgrains bank ready to address threat of rising hunger
Organization had feared the pandemic might reduce the number of growing projects this year, but that didn’t happen
The global pandemic has increased the number of hungry people in the world and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is preparing to meet the challenge of helping to feed them. Until 2014, there had been a 30-year decline in the number of hungry, but violent events in Yemen, South Sudan and Syria, among other countries, changed […] Read more
On-farm hatching may benefit bird welfare
A poultry company is studying the logistics and benefits of bringing the eggs to the farm and hatching them there instead
Hatching chicks on the farms where they are raised, rather than in a hatchery for later shipment to the farm, might improve bird welfare and performance. Groupe Westco, a New Brunswick poultry company, has undertaken research on the subject, with full results expected in 2021. Marco Volpe, a senior manager with Groupe Westco and a […] Read more
Performance test results researched
Ranchers who run multiple sires with their cow herd might be interested to know which bulls sire the most calves. But what can they do with that information, beyond selling the under-performers? A four-year study initiated by the West Central Forage Association (WCFA), in conjunction with Olds College and Lakeland College, seeks to answer that […] Read more
Alta. commodity groups take over Blue Book publication
A book that can be found in most Alberta farm shops and sprayers, commonly known as the Blue Book, will be produced by four Alberta commodity groups in the future rather than by the provincial government. With the official title of the Alberta Crop Protection Guide, the book contains information on registered herbicides, fungicides and […] Read more
