CALGARY — A global study has shown that increasing periods of extreme short-term drought due to climate change will likely have a more severe impact than expected on grasslands relied on by beef producers. “I think the message from this one is that we probably have been underestimating the effects of the droughts that we’re […] Read more
Doug Ferguson
Stories by Doug Ferguson
Developing pulses particular to the Prairies
Ana Vargas and her U of S team are working to develop disease resistance, tall red lentils and drought-resistant fababeans
CALGARY – A scientist who seeks to breed lentils and fababeans that are a better fit for the Canadian Prairies in an era of climate change sees a bright future for the region’s pulse farmers. The ability of such crops to fix their own nitrogen means they require less fertilizer and provide high levels of […] Read more
Company deploys million worms to improve soils
Annelida Soil Solutions of Alta. recently received an innovation award for its soil amendment that is based on worm castings
CALGARY — An Alberta company wants to turn poop from about 80 million worms into a natural superfood for the soil. “Essentially, what we’re doing is using Mother Nature and creating a soil microbiome through our technology,” said Jamie DePape, co-founder and director of sales for Annelida Soil Solutions Ltd. Related stories: Regenerative ag reaches […] Read more
Funding to help reduce large carnivore conflicts
Grizzly bears in particular have expanded their range further east from the Rocky Mountains during the past few years
CALGARY — A program that helps producers minimize conflicts with large carnivores such as grizzly bears, wolves and cougars in a key part of southwestern Alberta will receive $700,000 over five years from the provincial government. Grizzly bears in particular have increasingly been expanding their range further east from the Rocky Mountains during the past […] Read more
Producer sets out to counter livestock myths
Survey will gather data from 1991-94 and 2016-19 about all aspects of forage production from seeding to the final crop
CALGARY — A researcher is offering $200 to each Saskatchewan cattle forage producer who completes an online survey he expects will help counter what he called false greenhouse gas narratives targeting the beef industry. Judson Christopherson says he hopes to determine if the amount of carbon that’s being sequestered in soil by forage crops in […] Read more
Drylanders film depicted homesteaders’ prairie gamble
How did a pioneer family with no farming experience find the courage to gamble everything on an uncertain new life as homesteaders in Western Canada? “I tried to look cheerful when we got off the train, and when he bought the wagon,” said Liza Greer about her husband, Dan, as they slowly travelled with their […] Read more
Report gives beef sustainability high marks
CALGARY – A report tracking the Canadian beef industry’s progress on sustainability says the sector has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent for each kilogram of boneless and consumed beef between 2014 and 2021. The second National Beef and Sustainability and Assessment and Strategy Report was released today by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable […] Read more
Alta. considers expanding ag society funding
CALGARY — The Alberta government is looking at expanding funding for a program that provides $2.5 million per year to agricultural societies to repair and upgrade facilities such as arenas and rodeo grounds relied on by rural residents. “It’s definitely a consideration,” said Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson when asked about the need for […] Read more
Combyne uses FieldView data to help market grain
Grain deliveries to be connected back to the fields they originated from and management choices made on those fields
Red Deer — Bayer is making it easier for farmers to track data from seeding to harvest, improving their ability to make better agronomic and marketing decisions. The company recently announced producers can now connect their agronomic data in Climate FieldView with their marketing data in Combyne, which was acquired by the company early in […] Read more
Genetic tool recognized for reducing emissions
Companies receive climate action award for their work in helping develop a way to select cattle that produce less methane
CALGARY — Canadian research that sparked the world’s first official genetic evaluation program to help dairy farmers reduce methane emissions from Holstein cattle without harming milk production has earned an international award for climate action. “The award has been a real team effort, and it’s something that didn’t just come by chance,” said Filippo Miglior, […] Read more
