Farmers should be involved in the development of a Canadian fresh water security strategy, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says.
Tag Archives Irrigation
Get farmers in on federal water security strategy planning, CFA says
Any debate about water access should prioritize food security and on-farm production, the federation says
OPINION: Canada’s shifting snowpack reveals water-loss location matters for agriculture
From the Prairies to the Great Lakes, uneven snowmelt patterns signal new era of water supply risk
From the Prairies to the Great Lakes, uneven snowmelt patterns signal new era of water supply risk.
Alberta municipalities, farmers agree to cut water use as drought persists
Municipalities and irrigation districts in Alberta have agreed to use less water this summer to combat a severe ongoing drought, the provincial government said on Friday.
Water use: agriculture’s next public relations battleground?
With drought still in the headlines, will water become the next area where ag needs to defend its image?
It’s been a long stretch of dry years for Canadian producers, and they’ve been using more irrigation water as a result. Statistics Canada reports that farmers in Canada used 23 per cent more water in 2022 compared to 2020. At the same time, Canadians name water is their most important environmental pillar, according to the
Farmers, oil drillers in parched Alberta brace for water shortage
Drought could cause double-digit declines in Alberta's wheat yields, data suggests
Drought in Alberta is stretching into its fourth year and farmers and oil companies are planning for water restrictions that threaten production of wheat, beef and crude.
Setting up fertigation in potato crops for success
Manitoba farmers show how they’ve made the irrigation-fertilization marriage work
Potato producer Sheldon Wiebe, who farms near MacGregor, can wax poetic about how production has evolved on his operation, J.P. Wiebe Ltd., since its inception in the mid 1960s. Like other Manitoba potato farmers, the introduction of irrigation is part of that story, but today the practice is about more than just water. Today, the
Canadian potato output rises in 2023
Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production
At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt.
CAPI pitches national agri-food water strategy
Think tank says farmers have been let down by lack of a national plan
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada should use its enormous water resources to become a sustainable food powerhouse and a global water research superpower, says a new paper from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. The country’s water policies, management and research efforts are under-developed and uncoordinated, it said, which leaves water resources and challenges largely unaddressed. That’s something a national plan should fix, says the report written
Manitoba potato harvest expected to hit records
After a string of hard years, 2023 looks decidedly friendlier to the potato sector
After several years of below-average to poor harvests, Manitoba potato growers have finally caught a break. “There have been some challenging years, so it’s nice to have a strong, good-quality crop,” said Susan Ainsworth, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association. “They were due for a good crop.” Why it matters: Potato yields were
Potatoes see big benefits from water stewardship project
Farmers studied the benefits of in-field and field edge projects for themselves and the community
Improved water stewardship on potato fields in the Lake Winnipeg basin could provide a surprising amount of community benefits, a recent project showed. “Those numbers were way bigger than I would ever expect,” said farmer Chad Berry. Berry, who owns Under the Hill Farms near Cypress River, was one of four farms (covering 34,000 acres)