Gaps in Canada’s early feed ban that allowed specified risk material from cattle to get into feed might have caused the country’s latest BSE case. Paul Mayer, vice-president of policy and programs with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the feed ban that was implemented in 1997 was not as comprehensive as the enhanced feed […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Financing challenges delay BioRefinex plant construction
Proposed $35 million plant would process 45,000 tonnes of animal byproducts every year in Lacombe, Alta.
City council in Lacombe, Alta., has granted BioRefinex Canada an extra month to get its financing in place to buy land for a plant that will turn specified risk material into safe byproducts. The company hopes to build its proposed $35 million plant on 13 acres of city owned land in an industrial park. “The […] Read moreFirst CWD case since 2002 no cause for panic
Alberta elk industry official says vigilant testing was bound to find the disease, known to be contracted from wild deer
The discovery of Alberta’s first case chronic wasting disease in a farmed elk in 13 years likely won’t affect the industry, says the head of the Canadian Cervid Council. “I think the industry, as a whole, is always concerned whenever there is a case regardless of where it is located, whether it is Saskatchewan or […] Read more
Age of cow to determine implications of latest BSE case
UPDATED: Monday February 15, 2015 – 1400 CST – South Korea temporarily suspends Canadian beef imports in wake of BSE diagnosis in Alberta beef cow. Details here. UPDATED: Sunday February 15, 2015 – 1140 CST – A timeline of events of the discovery of Canada’s 19th case of BSE has been released by the Canadian Food […] Read more
The best farm plans start with a clean slate
EDMONTON — After studying hundreds of leading farmers, an Australian farm management specialist has listed the Top 10 traits of successful farmers. Farmers aren’t expected to be successful at all 10 traits, but with deliberate changes they can improve their score and their farm’s bottom line, Rob Napier told farmers at FarmTech, which was held […] Read more
Healthy living starts by eating smaller portions
EDMONTON — Gaining weight is blamed on lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, pressure, advertising, genetics and emotional needs. However, it may also be as simple as forgetting how much food we eat, says an American dietician. “We think we know how much food we’re eating, but we don’t. We get fooled,” said Jim Painter, a […] Read more
Ag data collects carbon credits
A Manitoba company that collects high tech agricultural data has won an exclusive carbon offset contract with an Edmonton power utility. Farmers Edge will work with farmers who use quality farm management and data collection to secure carbon offsets under a new Alberta Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program. “For us, there is a lot of value […] Read more
Climate change to boost prairie ag production
EDMONTON — Canadian farmers will continue to play an increasing role in closing the gap between the global demand for food and its supply, says an agricultural economist. Lutz Goedde told the FarmTech show in Edmonton that the Prairies will be one of the few parts around the world where production will increase rather than […] Read more
Alberta gov’t plans to capture wild horses
The Alberta government hopes to capture 50 to 60 wild horses in the Alberta foothills to help protect sensitive rangeland north of Banff. “It comes down to rangeland health. It is an age-old story with feral horses and the terrain out there. Their numbers are such that they’re causing some damage out there. We have […] Read more
Containers revolutionized shipping
EDMONTON — It’s hard to remember when shipping containers were not the way most goods were shipped. Before containers, everything travelled in the hold of a ship and had to be carried out of the ship and into trucks, trains or warehouses, said Marc Levinson, author of The Box, a history of the shipping container. […] Read more
