STROME, Alta. — It wasn’t until Ray Lestus grew his last crop and sold his farm machinery that he realized how much anxiety he felt when he was farming. “The worries. You don’t realize how much you worry about everything,” said Letus. In the last few years, it was his job to race around fields […] Read more
News
Irrigated dry beans can fit Sask. rotations
With the help of irrigation, producers Jeff Ewen and Nigel Oram have had substantial success with dry beans in Saskatchewan, but there are challenges that come with being a small community of growers. They recently advocated for more dry bean acres being added to crop rotations, during the Saskatchewan Irrigation Conference in Saskatoon. Dry beans, […] Read more
Malt Shop – photo essay
Farmers had a chance to learn all about the barley, malt and the brewing industry during Manitoba Crops Alliance’s time at the Canadian Malt Barley Technical Centre in Winnipeg. The Producer Malt Academy gave farmers hands-on experience with germination-counting, different types of malts, brewing, beer styles and beer-tasting. | Ed White photos
Producers urged to use grain grading tools
Grain grading isn’t the exclusive purview of elevator operators and private consultants. The information necessary for producers to survey quality, short of an official grade, is publicly available, according to recent seminars hosted by Saskatchewan producer groups. Saskatchewan wheat, barley, canola and flax associations hosted officials from the Canadian Grain Commission for a crash course […] Read more
Ottawa, equipment industry clash over right to repair
A recent federal call to formalize producers’ right to repair their own equipment ignores what manufacturers are already doing to boost farmers’ capacity to do so, according to a leader in the North American equipment arena. The federal government is considering an adjustment to the Competition Act that would prevent manufacturers from denying farmers the […] Read more
Alberta requests options for dealing with drought
Alberta is preparing for possible water shortages in southern rivers that feed its irrigation network and is asking for proposals to help deal with the situation. “A key element of this is the development of water sharing agreements, whereby holders of large water licences work together to agree on how much less water each will […] Read more
Alberta fire departments plan for a tough fire season
A silver lining from persistent drought is that there is little vegetation left to burn as dry, windy conditions persist
Persistent dry conditions are posing different fire threat levels for Alberta’s rural firefighters, from an extreme threat in the north, to diminished in southern parts because of lack of material to burn. “Looking out my window, we have no snow,” said fire chief Wayne Brown of the Municipal District of Greenview in early December. The […] Read more
2023 warmest year on record as temperatures keep rising
(Reuters) — European Union scientists said 2023 would be the warmest year on record, as global mean temperature for the first 11 months of the year hit the highest level on record, 1.46 C above the 1850-1900 average. The record comes as governments are in marathon negotiations on whether to, for the first time, phase […] Read more
Canadian wool weaving gaining international attention
Federal government offers new funding for branding and developing high-value international markets for Canadian wool products
The Canadian Wool Council is attracting international attention as it hosts the International Wool Symposium in Montreal. The federal government also announced a $185,000 funding boost for branding and marketing through the AgriMarketing Program over three years. “It’s been a good couple of days for Canadian wool,” said Matthew Rowe, Campaign for Wool chief executive […] Read more
Ag Canada project examines ecological health in farmland
Environmental Change One Health Observatory encompasses plant, human, and animal health near agro ecosystems
Agriculture Canada has shared details of a project meant to examine the effects of agricultural landscape features on ecological health. The project, called Environmental Change One Health Observatory, or ECO2, encompasses plant, human, and animal health. It will examine how environmental factors affect the farmer’s bottom line. ECO2 results have already shown the importance of […] Read more
