Taber corn will make a full appearance at the southern Alberta town’s annual Cornfest Aug. 22-25 despite severe crop damage earlier this month from a hailstorm in the Taber and Barnwell regions. The Aug. 6 storm, with winds of more than 140 kilometres per hour, drove large hailstones that wiped out area crops including the […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Taber corn takes hail hit
Taber corn will make a full appearance at the southern Alberta town’s annual Cornfest Aug. 22-25 despite severe crop damage earlier this month from a hailstorm in the Taber and Barnwell regions. The Aug. 6 storm, with winds of more than 140 kilometres per hour, drove large hailstones that wiped out area crops including the […] Read more
Society urged to focus more on wild bee protection
Save the bees. That has been a rallying cry in recent years, leading to greater public awareness about the importance of pollinators, especially honeybees. But it isn’t honeybees that society should worry about, said Megan Evans, president of the Alberta Native Bee Council. It’s wild bees that are in peril, yet public perception of that […] Read more
Seven generations and still adding on
GOODHUE, Minnesota — Max Schafer was all smiles July 29. His son, Louis John Schafer, was born the day before to him and his spouse, Hollie Fehrman, marking the eighth generation of Schafers on this farm. The farm was established in 1886 and now comprises 850 acres that sustain a 2,200-sow hog operation and a […] Read more
Quarantine continues following Alberta scrapie discovery
Two farms in central Alberta remain under quarantine as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues an investigation into a case of scrapie confirmed June 21 in one sheep. The infected animal had lived in more than one place so two separate flocks are involved. Exact locations were not revealed, standard practice when reportable livestock diseases […] Read more
Cargill targets greenhouse gas
Cargill launched an initiative July 24 to reduce the environmental impact of its beef production across the supply chain. “BeefUp Sustainability” has a target year of 2030 in which to achieve a 30 percent greenhouse gas intensity reduction across the company’s North American beef operations from cow-calf through end product. “It’s a 30 percent reduction […] Read more
Massive root systems give some weeds a lift
A better understanding of what goes on underground can help fight weeds such as Canada thistle and leafy spurge
Farmers are battling a vast underground network of villains intent on expanding their foothold. It sounds melodramatic, but that’s pretty much the situation in fields with Canada thistle and leafy spurge. Those two weeds have massive root systems that can stretch hundreds of feet and reproduce from tiny root fragments. Kelly Cooley, environmental consultant and […] Read more
Conservation survey participation deadline extended
A survey to gauge western Canadian farmers’ and ranchers’ thoughts on conservation programs has been extended until the end of the month. Jeremy Pittman of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, seeks to determine which species-at-risk and endangered species conservation programs are most popular with landowners and has an on-line survey designed to get the […] Read more
Sniffer dogs could root out clubroot
When things are hiding, dogs can sniff them out. People, drugs, even certain types of cancer are evident to dogs through their superior olfactory systems capable of detecting odours as low as one to two parts per trillion. So why not get them to sniff out clubroot, a production-limiting disease in canola and other crops […] Read more
Claas aims to raise profile in North America
Company has traditionally sold its equipment under a variety of brands, colours and distribution channels
OMAHA, Neb. — When Claas surveyed North American farmers about brand recognition, the results disappointingly hovered around 10 percent. With its new campaign, “Be Brighter,” the 106-year-old German-based farm equipment manufacturer seeks to improve and brighten those results. Eric Raby, Claas of America president and general manager of sales, has big goals. “Our goal is […] Read more
