Cattle graze on lush green grass in a hilly pasture.

Fire can be effective grazing management tool

Research following devastating Prairie fires of 2017 found that severely burned grasslands recovered within five years

Recent wildfires in Alberta and Saskatchewan have offered a unique opportunity to study how fires affect grazing management.


Cattle producers recommend better regulations and communication at all levels of government during wildfires, taking local input into account and developing a process to acknowledge some producers must shelter in place. | Reuters photo

Producers want better fire evacuation policies

The Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee has been studying the effects of wildfires on the two sectors

REGINA — Cattle producers described the stress of evacuating cattle during a forest fire in recent testimony at the Senate agriculture committee. The committee wrapped up its study last week after hearing from a variety of witnesses in forestry and agriculture. Among those was Stacey Meunier from Meunier Livestock at Barrhead, Alta. She talked about […] Read more

Agronomists take a look at how the two worst wildfire seasons on record affected crops.  |  Alberta government photo

Wildfire smoke’s crop yield impact thought to be minimal

Agronomists say there’s little production hit for the wide areas where smoke plumes pass over, but risks do exist

The last two years have had the worst wildfire seasons ever recorded in Canada. While yield impact was minimal and agronomists say smoke may even have benefits for crops in some cases, a future with more destructive wildfire seasons could have negative long-term effects, experts warn. Grain Farmers of Ontario senior agronomist Marty Vermey noted […] Read more


A firefighter tackles a forest blaze during an outbreak of wildfires following a prolonged dry spell and unseasonably high temperatures in Asturias, Spain, last March.  |  Reuters/Vincent West photo

Beef farmers focus of Spanish wildfire debate

OVIEDO, Spain (Reuters) — Farmers across Europe have jammed roads, burned tires and dumped manure in protest at a host of pressures threatening their livelihoods and way of life. In the province of Asturias, Spain, authorities are preparing for worse. Last spring, in an unprecedented conflagration there, nearly 300 wildfires leapt across motorways, forcing the […] Read more

The fires that hit the region started early and spread fast in May 2023 following a dry winter, causing dozens of communities to evacuate and tens of thousands to flee the region. | File photo

Alta. braces for another bad fire season

MEDICINE HAT — The potential for a return of wildfires in the Peace Country continue to grow as dry conditions in Alberta’s northwestern quarter aren’t anticipated to improve without significant precipitation. The fires that hit the region started early and spread fast in May 2023 following a dry winter, causing dozens of communities to evacuate […] Read more

Farmers and ranchers should review the provincial FireSmart framework to ensure they are aware of tips to help fireproof their operations.  |  File photo

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


This area had been reseeded with aspen seedlings several years ago. Now the tree canopy shades out the native grass, thus reducing the effects of future wildfires.  |  Duane McCartney photo

Planting aspen trees may reduce forest fire risk

FireSmart program intended to help landowners increase property’s resilience to wildfire and minimize negative impacts

For years, rangeland and forest managers have tried to eliminate aspen regrowth and encroachment on grazing lands or managed conifer forests with mixed success. But with all the wildfire outbreaks across Canada this year, the humble aspen tree could play a role in reducing the intensity of future wildfires in grazing and forested areas. As […] Read more

Cody Veilleux moves steers along an alley to be weighed in mid-October when workers processed 950 calves at the Tongue Creek Ranch northwest of Longview, Alta. The livestock industry is welcoming a feed assistance program that was announced last week for Alberta’s beef producers. | Mike Sturk photo

Livestock changes demanded

Western provinces are tapping into the AgriRecovery program for the second time in three years as drought and fire continue to plague the region. The federal government will provide $219 million to Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, while the provinces will kick in a collective $125 million under the cost-splitting program designed to provide relief […] Read more