LETHBRIDGE – Researchers have been able to significantly increase potato yields by using an irrigated sustainable rotational program instead of conventional cropping systems. Frank Larney, a researcher with Agriculture Canada, told farmers attending a recent Irrigated Crop Production conference in Lethbridge that a trend toward better performance in sustainable versus conventional rotations is starting to […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Zone tillage controls erosion
LETHBRIDGE – Watching topsoil blow off southern Alberta sugar beet fields was the inspiration behind a new tillage machine. Wayne Veenstra of Taber, Alta., turned an old cultivator into a 44 foot zone tillage machine to help protect tiny seedlings battered by southern Alberta’s strong wind. Some years farmers need to reseed hundreds of acres […] Read more
Address discontent, say beef producers
LETHBRIDGE – Cecilie Fleming believes the Alberta Beef Producers must change and become more nimble if the province’s cattle industry is to survive. “We need an extreme beef makeover,” said Fleming during a review of the organization and its structure. “I’m desperately concerned about the state of our beef industry. Our whole beef industry is […] Read more
CFIA still studying TB links
A northern British Columbia bull confirmed to have bovine tuberculosis last fall may have exposed more than 1,000 animals to the disease, says a Canadian Food Inspection Agency update. All of the animals are being traced to determine their location and assess their exposure to bovine TB. All animals that are confirmed to have been […] Read more
Cattle levy under scrutiny
INNISFAIL, Alta. – The Alberta cattle industry is considering slaughtering a sacred cow. Beef producers have been asked if the $3 nonrefundable checkoff paid to the Alberta Beef Producers each time an animal is sold should continue to be nonrefundable. It’s part of the beef producers’ regulatory review held every five years when producers are […] Read more
Alta. unveils climate strategy
Alberta farmers may play a role in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased government investment in wind, solar, geothermal and bioenergy technology. While investment in clean energy technology is only a small part of Alberta premier Ed Stelmach’s green energy plan, it will all add up to help reduce greenhouse gases, he said. The […] Read more
What’s bugging Alberta farmers where
LETHBRIDGE – Cabbage seedpod and pea leaf weevil were the pests responsible for the greatest amount of crop damage in Alberta in 2007, but they aren’t the only pests plaguing Alberta farms, says Scott Meers, an insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture. He advised farmers attending an Irrigated Crop Production Update meeting in Lethbridge to […] Read more
Alta. discovers wheat midge in ‘extreme numbers’
LETHBRIDGE – Wheat midge, which is responsible for millions of dollars of wheat damage in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is set to become a serious problem in Alberta for the first time. “It has never looked like this in Alberta,” Alberta Agriculture insect specialist Scott Meers told producers attending an Irrigated Crop Production Update meeting in […] Read more
Alta. sets up environmental institute
Farmers will get help to identify and use environmentally friendly products and practices through a new provincial institute. The Alberta Institute for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment will focus on identifying and promoting Alberta’s environmental goods and services. The institute was formed to develop a framework to encourage good environmental behaviour, said John Donner, Alberta […] Read more
Alberta organizes deer cull to monitor CWD in wild herds
Deer will be culled from five areas in Alberta where deer shot by hunters last fall were confirmed to have chronic wasting disease. Hired contractors in helicopters will attempt to kill all the deer within a 10 kilometre radius of where the positive deer were found, said Dave Ealey, spokesperson for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. […] Read more
