Medicine Hat, Alta. – Producing methane from manure and other waste products may present value-added opportunities, said an Alberta Agriculture official at a reduced tillage conference. Matthew Machielse, director of Alberta Agriculture’s Bio-Industrial Technologies Division, said he’s excited about methane as a biogas. “The environmental opportunities that it may present, plus the economics. We can […] Read more
Stories by Bill Strautman
Crop demo shows growers fertility, seeding results
MEDICINE HAT – At a recent Reduced Tillage Conference in Medicine Hat, certified crop consultant Steve Larocque and Jack Payne, an agronomy instructor at Olds College in Olds, Alta., put participants through their paces with various crop diagnostic problems grown out in plastic tubs. Fertility played a role in many demonstrations, including phosphorus banded with […] Read more
Recycled material keeps hay high and dry
CARSTAIRS, Alta. – When Jim Klys bought a hay truck with a 30 foot deck and didn’t have room to put it in the shop, he decided to put up a building for it. He set one up using recycled oilfield tubing and a canvas cover. “My neighbour Richard Schmidt has been in the oilfield […] Read more
Fresh food not just for people
Keeping fresh feed in front of the cows is an important aspect of top milk production on the Prairie Diamond Farm near Balgonie. The cows get milked at 5 a.m. and about 4:15 p.m., but feed is given to the cows throughout the day. “We spend a lot of time in the barn and when […] Read more
From farm to fridge
When fresh milk leaves a dairy farm, it can end up in a range of food products, including cheese, sour cream, ice cream, yogurt, butter or milk. But because it’s highly perishable, quality control measures greet it at every turn. “It’s tested for butterfat, protein and inhibitors before it even goes into the plant itself. […] Read more
Innovative irrigation
BALGONIE, Sask. – Jennifer and Harley Strudwick feel more comfortable producing feed for their dairy herd themselves. “The only thing we buy is the protein supplement. Everything else is home grown,” says Jennifer. “What makes our feeding program interesting is we have a quarter section irrigation pivot, with our source of water the town of […] Read more
Bigger is better
While a high level of milk production is an important aspect of the operation at Prairie Diamond Farms near Balgonie, Sask., Jennifer Strudwick says the conformation of the cattle is just as important. “Our cows aren’t small. The average sized cow is probably 1,400 pounds and 59 or 60 inches tall at the withers. Some […] Read more
Custom plow installs pasture pipelines
LAKE ALMA, Sask. – A dry spring in south-central Saskatchewan this year, forced many farmers to start a search for new water supplies. Yet there was no pasture pipeline plow available in the area. So Wayne Hagen, who ranches near Lake Alma and operates Hagen Manufacturing out of his farm shop, decided to build one. […] Read more
Biorefining offers hope for farmers
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Canadian agriculture must change direction and expand its narrow focus on food, food quality and food characteristics, according to an Alberta Agriculture official. “We’ve got to start opening our eyes to what are the market opportunities on the non-food and industrial side, to capture some of these opportunities,” said Matthew Machielse, […] Read more
Branding grain offers benefits, adds risk
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Product branding is an established marketing tool used around the world. And cereal farmers are looking into how they may be able to reap the benefits of that strategy. Mike Leslie with the Alberta Barley Commission said his organization is looking at the possibility of branding barley. “Brands are promises companies […] Read more
