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
Cattle sector facing silent crisis
The cattle sector isn’t facing one big crisis, but rather the cumulative effect of many challenges, a new study says
Like it or not, climate change will change your farm, say two experts
The growing season is already longer and extremes more common, say climatologist and crop specialist
Canada’s best-known climatologist always knows when he’s lost a crowd of producers he’s presenting to. It’s usually right around the time he starts talking about climate change. But he gets it. “Farmers have been beat up a lot — they’ve been accused of causing climate change,” said David Phillips, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s senior
Is the weed seed ‘destructor’ ready for prime time in Canada?
Aussie invention is much cheaper, easier to use, but is still in the ‘promising, not proven’ category
In the battle against herbicide-resistant weeds, the Harrington Seed Destructor might just win us the war — if farmers can justify the $100,000 price tag. “If herbicides are still working, it can be hard to convince producers to spend that kind of money to purchase this kind of equipment,” said federal research scientist Breanne Tidemann.
How one farm put data analytics to work
This grain farm makes money by assessing data on everything from employees to soil moisture
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
Drying grain may become the norm as harvests trend later
Natural air drying with supplemental heat hasn’t caught on in Alberta yet, but it soon could, says expert
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
Two new blackleg tools for the 2018 growing season
Tools to estimate yield loss and pinpoint the strain infesting your fields can help reduce the economic hit
Blackleg has become an expensive problem for canola producers, but growers will soon have two new tools to reduce the economic impact of the disease. “Blackleg wasn’t a real concern even a few years ago, but now it’s becoming increasingly important,” said Stephen Strelkov, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Alberta. “This
New blackleg diagnostic test available this fall
A new diagnostic test will make it easier for producers to match the right kind of blackleg-resistant seed to the specific race in their fields
There are things you can do this fall to reduce your risk of blackleg next spring — and the first step is to scout for it. “The more you can identify it, the more you’re going to know whether you’re successful at controlling it,” said Clint Jurke, agronomy director for the Canola Council of Canada.
Compensation promised for ranches under TB quarantine
Ottawa promises financial help while Alberta Beef Producers trying to arrange for feedlots to take in calves
Beleaguered Alberta ranchers with quarantined herds are getting some relief as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved a beef industry plan to allow calves to be sent to feedlots. “We’re working with the CFIA on the conditions and requirements,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “Obviously, it would be hard to
This ain’t your grandad’s grazing system
Innovative producers, especially younger ones, are looking to cover crop cocktail mixes to get more production per acre
Nearly 150 people — some from as far away as Manitoba — converged on a farm near Hardisty recently to learn more about cover crop cocktail mixes. But tour organizer Graeme Finn noticed something a little different about the crowd at the event in late August — it was mainly young farmers. “Young people can’t
Five steps to market-ready canola
International buyers are testing like never before — but meeting their standards is easy
Growing a good canola crop isn’t just about high yield or quality — it’s also about getting that crop ready to market on a global scale. “We export about 90 per cent of what we produce in Canada, so being able to meet the requirements of our export customers is really important for having open
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