Annemarie Pedersen is the new executive director of Alberta Farm Animal Care, a livestock welfare organization. Pedersen is a former industry relations director with Canada Beef, has operated her own communications consulting business and has worked in agricultural communications for more than a decade. She started the job Nov. 20 and on Nov. 27 was […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Cash receipts continue to increase
Canadian farm cash receipts for the January to September period have increased for the seventh consecutive year, Statistics Canada reports. Those receipts totalled $45.4 billion in the first three quarters of the year, a 3.3 percent increase from that same period in 2016. Farm cash receipts are not the same as net farm income, but […] Read more
Invasive weed causes alarm in Alberta
Phragmites australis chokes out other plants, destroys wetland ecosystems and can pose a fire hazard when it dies
It’s tall. It’s nasty. It’s invasive. “It scares the crap out of us,” said Todd Green, director of agricultural services for the County of Newell. Green was speaking about Phragmites australis, a member of the reed family that was found in the county last year and has since been found in 13 other Alberta locations. […] Read more
Ferdinand bad example of acceptable bull
Bulls that pack on a few extra pounds may not have the stamina to breed the needed number of cows
Ferdinand, the bull famous in children’s fiction, just wanted to sit and smell the flowers. With that kind of attitude, Ferdinand wouldn’t be wanted in commercial beef herds. In fact, Ferdinand would sooner find himself in a batch of bologna than in the shade of a tree. There are several reasons bulls may not be […] Read moreEPDs not high on the list for commercial bull buyers
Though they contain valuable information, EPDs are among many factors that go into decisions about sires
It’s impossible to say how many commercial cow-calf producers consider the expected progeny differences (EPD) statistics of bulls they plan to buy. Dr. John Basarab, beef research scientist with Alberta Agriculture, suspects that it isn’t very many. He thinks EPD data is a few levels down on the list of bull-buying considerations. First on that […] Read moreAlberta Farm Animal Care has new executive director
Annemarie Pedersen is the new executive director of Alberta Farm Animal Care, a livestock welfare organization. Pedersen is a former industry relations director with Canada Beef, has operated her own communications consulting business and has worked in agricultural communications for more than a decade. She started the job Nov. 20 and on Nov. 27 was […] Read more
Lighter carcasses offset cattle slaughter numbers
The Canadian cattle industry is in that sweetest of spots — all sectors are making money. How long that will last is tricky to predict, market analyst Anne Wasko told those at a Nov. 15 Cow-Calfenomics session organized by Alberta Agriculture. The fall calf run was better than expected, feeders are doing well after a […] Read more
Officials determining cause of Alta.-Sask. wildfire
Cause of the fire that killed livestock and destroyed buildings and fences may determine compensation strategy
The cause of an Oct. 17 wildfire that began near Hilda, Alta., and spread into Saskatchewan is likely to determine what assistance is available to farmers and ranchers who sustained losses. Alberta’s Office of the Fire Commissioner is still investigating the cause amid unconfirmed reports that the wind reignited embers in a fire pit used […] Read more
Grazing lease rate change proposed in Alta.
The new fee system would fluctuate with cattle markets and see the current four zones replaced by two
FORT MACLEOD, Alta. — Five Alberta groups with direct interests in grazing leases have agreed on a proposal to modify lease rates that haven’t been changed since 1994. The Alberta Grazing Leaseholder’s Association, Alberta Beef Producers, the Western Stock Growers Association, the Northern Alberta Grazing Association and the Central Alberta Grazing Association are signatories to […] Read more
Sheep researchers ask for deer poop
Dr. Susan Kutz/Collin Letain
Do deer defecate in the woods? Yes, and they also do it on other parts of the landscape. When they do, researchers want some of the material. A study underway at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine is aimed at learning about gastro-intestinal parasite diversity in Alberta’s deer. Researchers intend to compare parasite […] Read more
