Some cattle producers have a beef with fake-meat labelling

Glacier Farmmedia – Plant-based protein. Simulated meat. Alternative protein. When it comes to labelling fake meat, what’s in a name? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some say using words like ‘burger’ or ‘sausage’ to describe vegetarian fare is misleading. “To me, it’s obvious we’re producing the best meat product, because everybody else wants to call theirs ‘meat,’”[...]

Farm aid is raining down south of the border, but not in Canada

American farmers will receive record-high amounts of farm aid this year, but Canadian producers say they don’t want a handout — just a business risk management program that works. The current programs, such as AgriStability, don’t function well, said Sexsmith, Alta.-area farmer Greg Sears. “It’s not predictable, it’s not timely, and it rarely pays out —[...]


Farm automation just over the horizon

Glacier FarmMedia – Just picture it: You’ve been watching your crop get rained on all week from your kitchen window, and it’s about time to do some crop scouting to see if you need to spray. But your farm is way ahead of you. Soil sensors have been monitoring moisture levels, and they’ve already called[...]




Cattle sector facing silent crisis

Canada’s cattle industry may not be facing another near-fatal blow like BSE, but it’s hemorrhaging all the same. And this time, it’s a death by a thousand cuts, says a new study from the heart of Canada’s cattle country. Government regulations. Global trade wars. Rising land prices and ever-higher costs. Drought. Feed shortages. Head taxes[...]


Private sector push will give farmers carbon opportunities

Western Canadian farmers lead the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions — they just don’t get paid for it, says an expert in the carbon-credit market. But that’s starting to change, said Jon Alcock, sustainability specialist at Viresco Solutions, a company that develops carbon credits and “carbon intensity scores.” Compliance-based carbon offset credits in Canada[...]

Drying grain may become the norm as harvests trend later

Prairie farmers may need to get used to leaving grain in the field at harvest. “Harvest might be starting earlier, but poor weather during the harvest season is slowing down that last little bit of harvest, and there’s more and more crop being left in the field in October,” said Joy Agnew, program manager at[...]


How one farm put data analytics to work

Most people say, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” But at Hebert Grain Ventures, their motto is, “If it’s not broke, you haven’t looked hard enough.” “We don’t believe that, just because we had a good year or a good yield, that’s enough,” said Evan Shout, the Saskatchewan farm’s chief financial officer. “If we[...]