Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Alberta has so far affected only one farm, the initial farm that was confirmed with the virus Jan. 8. As of Jan. 31, no other cases had been identified in the province and the source of the virus has not been determined. No pigs have left the central-Alberta farrow-to-finish operation […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
PED stays contained in Alberta
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Alberta has so far affected only one farm, the initial farm that was confirmed with the virus Jan. 8. As of Jan. 31, no other cases had been identified in the province and the source of the virus has not been determined. No pigs have left the central-Alberta farrow-to-finish operation […] Read more
The rise of ‘flexitarians’: what does it mean for meat?
BANFF, Alta. — A veritable tsunami of protein products — none based on meat — have hit the grocery shelves this month, and many of them replace at least some of the beef, chicken and pork in consumer diets. Food companies and retailers made their moves far ahead of the EAT Lancet report and release […] Read more
County feedlot tax survives appeal in Alberta
The per-animal-unit levy is intended to pay for infrastructure in Lethbridge County, but producers say it is unfair
The legality of a per-animal-unit tax imposed primarily on cattle feedlots by Lethbridge County has been upheld in the Alberta Court of Appeals. The business tax, implemented in 2016, assessed a $2.50 per animal unit levy last year and in 2017, down from the $3 originally imposed. It prompted a legal challenge from nine feedlots, […] Read more
Dry weather exacerbates herbicide residue
Update: Please note this story has been corrected and updated since its original publication. Another dry year on the Prairies will bring a higher risk of crop damage from imidazolinone herbicide carryover. It takes moisture to generate conditions for herbicide breakdown in the soil, and although soil pH also plays an important role, under drought […] Read more
Kochia continues to be difficult for producers to manage
Charles Geddes’s spouse knows the demands of travelling with a weed ecologist. This summer, he tasked her with taking photos of kochia from a moving car as Geddes drove prairie highways and byways. Unfortunately, there was plenty of kochia to photograph, Geddes told those at the Jan. 15 Agronomy Update in Lethbridge. As an Agriculture […] Read more
Researcher looks for fields infested with wireworms
The search continues for southern Alberta fields infested with wireworms so that research into their life cycle and control can also continue. Haley Catton, research scientist in cereal crop entomology with Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, has one more summer of research planned in a study of wireworms that began in 2017. She asked farmers at […] Read more
Roller compacted concrete catches on in prairie feedlots
About 20 percent of Alberta’s feedlot industry has installed roller compacted concrete in cattle pens in recent years with the goals of improving profitability, pen condition and animal welfare and reducing costs associated with pen cleaning and maintenance. Results from a three-year study indicate some of those goals can be met. Dr. Steve Hendrick, a […] Read more
Redwater ruling hands well clean-up bill to oil sector
Today’s Supreme Court of Canada decision indicating polluters must pay for oil and gas well cleanup is being heralded as good news for rural landowners and all other Alberta taxpayers. In a 5-2 decision, the court ruled that bankruptcy is not a licence for companies to ignore requirements to clean up energy well sites they […] Read more
Concrete blend new in feedlots
Alberta feedlots from Picture Butte to Barrhead have installed roller compacted concrete in some or all of their pens. Cody Metheral, agri-environmental extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture, has been working with many of them from the start and continues to help people decide if the product is right for their operations. “Really this is a […] Read more
