On the Farm: The Shirleys produced 57,000 pounds of honey last year from 254 hives, which they soon plan to double
Julie Shirley estimates she gets stung an average of 100 times per summer. “You just get used to it,” says the owner of Blue Heron Gardens Ltd., an apiary located 45 minutes northeast of Saskatoon. The stings are an occupational hazard of maintaining 254 beehives, each containing 50,000 bees. The hives are scattered in a […] Read moreFarm Living
Lamb: excellent source of protein with health benefits
Lamb is commonly included as a meat in Mediterranean diets, which have been shown to have several health benefits including to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Grass-fed lamb is a significant source of omega-3 fats associated with decreased risk of inflammation. In addition to being an excellent source of protein lamb is also […] Read more
New program explores how carbon offsets can work on grasslands
A new two-year pilot program will examine how ranchers can generate carbon offsets in and revenue from conserved grasslands. To generate carbon offsets, landowners will need to protect their grassland, but they have a choice of an easement, conservation agreement, servitude or covenant. The Retaining Canada’s Grasslands Using Carbon Offset Markets project was developed by […] Read more
Thoroughbred racing doing well in Alta., Man., despite pandemic
The industry managed to save its season last year in Alberta and Manitoba, but Saskatchewan was not as fortunate
The 2021 Thoroughbred racing season is headed for the starting gate. Last year, the pandemic forced prairie horse racing to change its gait, but most venues stayed on track and some exceeded their financial expectations. “We had our best (betting) handle year in many years and we raced right through until the first week of […] Read more
U of A researchers find new clubroot strains
The nine new pathotypes detected in a field survey in 2017 and 2018 brings the total number in Western Canada to 36
New strains of clubroot, a costly canola disease, are popping up in farm fields across the Canadian Prairies. According to researchers at the University of Alberta, nine new clubroot pathotypes were detected on western Canadian farms during a field survey conducted in 2017 and 2018. That brings the total number of unique clubroot pathotypes detected […] Read more
Grouse conservation efforts receive funding
Activities to support habitat for greater sage grouse received a $1.27 million funding boost March 17 from the federal environment and climate change department. The money will fund initiatives through the Species At Risk Partnership on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL), which is part of the national conservation plan. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association announced the funding, saying […] Read more
Coyotes: to shoot or not to shoot?
Ben Rodenburg has two guardian dogs, but he’d like to have more. The dogs, Maremma-Great Pyrenees crosses, protect the sheep and lambs at his farm near Ponoka, Alta. The majority of his 1,400 ewes are usually inside barns because Rodenburg and his wife Heather only have 40 acres. But, at any time a coyote could […] Read more
Build a new home around the kitchen table
Q: It was a bit of a sad day today. The men moving our old house off the property wrenched it free from its moorings early this morning and by lunchtime they had tied it into sets of wheels and started, very slowly, to take away what had been my home for years. I grew […] Read more
Alta. producers launch coal mining studies
Ranchers fighting against open-pit coal mining in the Eastern Slopes aren’t waiting for the provincial government to provide details about public consultations for a new coal policy for Alberta. Producers have launched two independent studies to look at the potential impact of such projects, said Laura Laing of the Plateau Cattle Co. A study into […] Read more
Gene edited crops are safe: Health Canada
UPDATED: March 26, 2021 – 1425 CST – adds audio comments from Erin Gowriluk, executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada Health Canada has declared that gene-edited crops are safe. On March 25, the department launched a public consultation for what it’s calling a “Proposed new guidance pieces for the Novel Foods Regulation, focused […] Read more
