The spectre of mandatory country-of-origin labelling in the United States has raised its ugly head again. That’s how Canadian livestock producers view a recent social media effort in the U.S. with the Twitter handle of #faircattlemarkets. The suggestion by some American cattle groups that COOL be reinstated is only one part of a campaign critical […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Heavy snow leaves southern Alta. farmers scrambling
Snowfall that fell on southern Alberta Sept. 28-30 — up to 55 centimetres in some parts — is gradually leaving a muddy mess in its melting wake. The resulting field conditions were already creating problems last week for farmers trying to complete harvest. About 90 percent of silage corn was still standing when the snow […] Read more
Proposed legislation targets animal activists
Alberta plans to introduce legislation to strengthen the Petty Trespass Act to address trespass on agricultural land
GRANUM, Alta. — There are new “no trespassing” signs at the Jumbo Valley Hutterite colony turkey operation near Fort Macleod, Alta., along with a few new locks. They are a response to a Sept. 2 incident in which animal rights activists entered the turkey barns, sat with live turkeys and held signs protesting animal agriculture. […] Read more
Students gather to discuss food sustainability
The cross-country project is a collaboration between McGill University, Dalhousie University and Lethbridge College
The recipe: 15 students 3 institutions 1 topic A dash of ag-related input Method: Mix ingredients together, bake for three days and see what ideas arise on the issue of food sustainability. The recipe is called McDalBridge. It’s a project involving agriculture students — or those with an interest in the field — from McGill, […] Read more
Bison producers hunt for wagon trek painting
It’s a bit of a bison mystery. An original oil painting created after a wagon trek held in 2000, in conjunction with the International Bison Conference, has gone missing. The Last Great Buffalo Wagon Trek, a 48 by 30-inch oil painting by Wayne LaLiberte, once hung in a Leduc, Alta., boardroom shared by the Bison […] Read more
Final TB-linked B.C. herd released
The last of 38 cattle herds subject to trace-out in connection with last November’s bovine tuberculosis case in British Columbia has been released from movement controls. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced removal of the last restriction Sept. 23 and said trace-in efforts, designed to identify and eliminate the source of the disease if possible, […] Read more
Cavendish opens doors on new Alberta potato processing plant
Gleaming equipment, pristine surfaces and the rumble of machinery are initial impressions of the new Cavendish Farms potato processing plant that officially opened Oct. 3 in Lethbridge. The $430 million plant sits on 80 acres in the city’s northeast industrial park and covers 346,000 sq. feet. It is the length of seven football fields and […] Read more
Two sniffer dogs pass in-field clubroot test in Alta.
Dogs initially had trouble finding the disease in undisturbed soil but were soon pulling out canola stubble to reveal galls
Dogs can be trained to find clubroot in canola fields. The fact became obvious Sept. 17 when two dogs that were trained in clubroot detection were brought to Alberta to test their sniffing skills. Michael Harding, crop pathologist with Alberta Agriculture, was on hand to see the test. “They definitely had the capability of finding […] Read more
Organic fertilizer plant planned for Alberta
A company using patented fertilizer production technology developed in California may build an organic fertilizer plant in southern Alberta using locally obtained crushed mineral and organic waste. Candeo Growth Solutions hopes to finalize a deal this month on the purchase of an unoccupied Second World War-era airport hangar in the Municipal District of Willow Creek, […] Read more
Consumer curiosity expands mushroom sector
Specialty mushroom production makes up only two percent of total Canadian production, but interest is growing
The specialty mushroom market has been growing steadily for years. Ryan Koeslag, chief executive officer of Mushrooms Canada, said figures indicate a 25 percent increase annually in specialty mushroom production, although given there are relatively few growers, the numbers aren’t as large as that figure might suggest. Statistics Canada data indicates specialty mushroom production makes […] Read more
