This issue of GrainsWest arrives at harvest time. In my experience growing up on a mixed farm in north-central Alberta, it was practically a sin to spill grain. But if you were on Twitter this last year, it was amazing to see farmers from around the world own up to such messy mistakes—have a look by searching for the hashtags #harvest16 and #oops!

In February 2017, the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley launched a crop sector mentorship program. AdvancingAg: Future Leaders Program pairs mentees aged 18 to 35 with crop sector professionals. The aim is to foster a strong network of future agricultural leaders. Stacie Yaremko and Allison Ammeter are one of the eight pairs.

According to agricultural experts, grain-drying technologies are being drastically overlooked in the Canadian farming industry, and many farmers could be losing out on profit by not taking advantage of the evolving tools at their disposal.

Disastrously wet conditions and early snowfall in 2016 left many Alberta farmers contemplating carrying out harvest and spring planting simultaneously.

AWC chairman Kevin Auch said 2016 was just the sort of year in which deferring income from one crop year to another made sense.

Demand by agri-food businesses for sustainably produced crops continues to increase. Addressing this, provincial chapters of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program have been in operation for more than two decades.

The Fusarium Head Blight Risk Tool was launched at the start of the 2017 growing season. Developed by the Alberta Wheat Commission in collaboration with the Alberta Climate Information Service, the online resource features a local risk indicator, a provincial risk map and a tab detailing best management practices.

Southern Alberta farmer Greg Stamp is concerned he may be losing a very effective component of his crop protection toolbox.

Over the last two years, loop track grain elevators have been built across Canada. These facilities can load and move grain more efficiently, but they’re just part of the picture. Much of the efficiency gain over two decades has occurred at conventional, straight-track facilities, where improvement may yet occur.

As sustainability climbs to the top of the federal government’s agricultural policy agenda, farmers may wonder how they ensure their farms are well positioned for the future. “Often, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word ‘sustainability’ is climate change and the environment,” said Jolene Noble, extension co-ordinator for the Alberta Farm Sustainability Extension (AFSE) working group. “But sustainability is not only an important part of agriculture because of environmental leadership, but also because of succession planning, business readiness and future market access.”