Methane produced in the rumen of cattle during digestion is a potent greenhouse gas. Japan’s agricultural industry produced 29.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, accounting for 2.8 percent of the country’s total emissions. A quarter of that came from enteric fermentation within livestock. For years, researchers have been exploring feed additives and […] Read more
Stories by Freelance writer
Old favourites still make the toy list
Every year has its fads, but parents are urged to also consider giving their children toys from the past this holiday season
If toy shoppers learned anything from the pandemic lockdown, it’s that tried and true toys, like board games, stand the test of time. Families began playing together as they had to stay together. Toy shopping became an online or curbside pick-up activity, so parents had to rely on advertising and their child’s wish list to […] Read more
Kids make memories in the kitchen
I used to cook with my oldest grandson before he started school and we would make pizza normally once a week. One day while we made pizza my young granddaughter was playing nearby while my grandson and I discussed how we should make coleslaw to serve with it. Two minutes later we heard a thud […] Read more
Producers ponder semi-retirement
After more than 20 years working on their ranch, these cattle producers look to reduce their active farming lifestyle
Grazing livestock in the most efficient and ecologically sound way will always be in the future for Amber and Steve Kenyon. Grazing livestock on their northern Alberta farm may not always be in their future. “Our future is slowly getting out of the day-to-day and more into education and promoting,” said Steve Kenyon of Busby, […] Read more
Farm succession starts by gathering information
Workshops are available that help producers figure out what they need to do first to successfully transition their farms
STROME, Alta. — Dozens of farm couples drove through a winter storm to the small community hall in the hamlet of Strome to listen to accountants talk taxes, capital gains, trusts, liability, asset pools, shareholder agreements and death. Farm succession planning isn’t easy or exciting, but successful farm transitions take time, work and a bucket […] Read more
4-H club takes eclectic approach
Members wanted to tackle a variety of different projects, prompting leaders to find a theme that would cover them all
BOTHA, Alta. — For his 4-H project, Nikolis Nims wants to learn how to fix a lawnmower and how to raise goats. “If a lawn mower stops working, I would like to know how to fix it so I can fix things,” he says. Landon Hoffman wants to learn how to cook steak. Stella Muhlbach […] Read more
Climate change, antibiotics may threaten soil
Researchers say livestock antibiotic residues can degrade microbe activity when combined with rising temperatures
Higher temperatures brought on by climate change in many regions can disrupt soil microbe effectiveness, recent research shows. A study by researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, has shown that when rising temperatures combine with antibiotic residues expelled by livestock, it degrades soil microbe efficiency, soil resilience to future […] Read more
Navigating the digital diet culture
The internet has opened the floodgates of dietary advice; how does that affect food production and should producers care?
Earlier this year, Kim Kardashian announced on social media her new role as “chief taste consultant” for the Beyond Meat company and her passion for its plant-based products, calling them “better for you and better for the planet.” Kardashian is one of many celebrity influencers who have endorsed a vegetarian or vegan diet and products […] Read more
Christmas gift exchange teaches valuable lesson
The real present received on that cold winter’s night so long ago was an insight into the meaning of giving and receiving
I was in Grade 3 at the time — too young to know the reasons, but old enough to sense the despair that had settled over our small farming community. Crops had been poor, prices low and people had become the passive victims of an economic squeeze. The annual school Christmas concert was to be […] Read more
Our love of Christmas cards is rooted in history
Cards remain a way to tell far-away friends and family they are remembered with a prettily printed picture and a verse of good wishes
The favourite time to connect with family and friends with a show of goodwill is Christmas. From the first Christmas cards sent in England by Sir Henry Cole in 1843, cards have become a traditional way to tell far-away friends and family they are remembered with a prettily printed picture and a verse of good […] Read more
