Scrapie surveillance | Officials hope to better understand disease
Don’t tell the postal and courier services, but certain people are hoping more goat heads are shipped through the system as producers provide samples for scrapie testing. Sample collection is part of the National TSE Eradication Plan, and goat producers have until March 31 to voluntarily provide heads from animals at least 12 months old […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Russia plans ban on U.S. beef, pork
The United States is strongly objecting to Russia’s decision to ban all imports of U.S. beef, pork and turkey because it could have traces of the feed additive ractopamine, a growth stimulant to make meat leaner. “These actions threaten to undermine our bilateral trade relationship,” said Andrea Mead, a spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative’s […] Read more
Pasture, hay insurance deadline looms in Alberta
Alberta farmers have until Feb. 28 to insure their pasture and hay this year. Almost 7.5 million acres of pasture and hay were insured last year in the province, according to Agriculture Financial Services Corp. records. That led to payouts of more than $3.7 million, mostly because of the lack of moisture that limited productivity. […] Read more
Alberta revamps road conditions service
Information on Alberta road conditions is now available via Twitter, website and toll-free phone through a new Alberta service that replaces the AMA Road Reports. The Alberta 511 traveller information service was officially launched yesterday by the provincial and federal governments. More than 100 highway cameras are now accessible through a mobile phone-friendly website at […] Read more
ADM to close Medicine Hat flour mill
The Archer Daniels Midland flour mill in Medicine Hat, which employs 40 people, is scheduled to close at the end of May. ADM spokesperson Jackie Anderson said the decision was made “after careful consideration as we look to optimize our milling operations.” She said customers will continue to be served from the company’s larger mill […] Read more
Cattle only one source of fecal contamination
Geese, swallows play role | Livestock was assumed to be the source but study also found other contributors
Lisa Tymensen likens her job to that of technicians on television’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation who trace evidence to find criminals. She traces evidence to find out who pooped in the water. Tymensen is a water research scientist with Alberta Agriculture who was tasked with finding the source of a problem on the Writing-on-Stone Provincial […] Read moreCalculate costs before investing in separators
Equipment that separates manure into solids and liquids is expensive and must be considered carefully by dairy and hog producers before they take the plunge. Jennifer Neden, a nutrient management specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said she knows of nine manure separators installed on Alberta farms in the last two to three years. Producers need a […] Read more
Advocate breaks new ground
Property rights | Alta. lawyer the first to field property rights questions
Alberta’s first property rights advocate has been handed a hot potato. Property rights issues have been simmering since the Alberta provincial election in May and were at a low boil for much of last year. Concerns over provincial legislation involving land stewardship, electrical lines and carbon capture were the focus of a government task force […] Read moreResearchers find compost breaks down pathogens
Beef molecular biologist Tim Reuter was intrigued and disappointed when a galvanized chain nearly dissolved in a manure compost experiment. He was intrigued by compost properties that could break down metal but disappointed that weakness in the chain made it necessary for him and his crew to dig into a compost pile that contained manure […] Read more
Composting manure easier to transport, boosts carbon
Battling the bull’s-eye | Composting reduces water content, boosts nitrogen
Farmers applied manure on six percent of cropland in Manitoba in 2010, five percent in Alberta and three percent in Saskatchewan, according to Statistics Canada. The low numbers didn’t surprise Agriculture Canada researcher Frank Larney. The specialist in composting and soil reclamation said they are similar to figures in the last agriculture census, which illustrates […] Read more
