On No v. 3, 2016, Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced the federal government’s Transportation 2030 plan, which will include new legislation that will address several priority areas for grain transportation. Industry stakeholders have been pushing for these measures for a long time.
Jody Klassen is one of many farmers across central and northern Alberta who really don’t see a happy ending for the story that played out late in 2016, leaving more than one million acres of grain and oilseed crops left unharvested under snow. All he can do is make the best of a bad situation.
For western Canadian grain producers, the 2016/17 growing season saw environmental conditions that were nearly perfect—perfect for a dramatic increase in Fusarium graminearum in their wheat crops, that is. As a result, the year revealed several potential drawbacks to Canada’s current wheat grading system.
A tiny aquatic animal poses a sizable threat to Alberta’s lakes, rivers, irrigation infrastructure and municipal water handling systems.
Cattle and other ruminant animals produce methane gas when they burp and fart, and, unfortunately, they burp and fart a lot. This methane represents about 16 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data from 2010.
A recent Canadian Senate report found that, one year after arriving in Canada, half of eligible Syrian refugees remain out of work. While there are many reasons why refugees would experience difficulties joining the Canadian workforce, two projects are looking at ways to help match refugees and other newcomers with employment in the severely understaffed agriculture industry.
Farm organizations, buyers and governments from across Canada came together in Ottawa at the beginning of November last year to discuss one thing: the formation of a National Environmental Farm Plan (NEFP). According to Erin Gowriluk, government relations and policy manager for the Alberta Wheat Commission and chair of November’s summit, there is strong support for the concept of a national program—94 per cent of surveyed participants see value in a national environmental farm plan program now and into the future—and its development is already underway.
The warm, sunny days of summer are perfect for enjoying an ice-cold beer or two with friends, family or colleagues. In Western Canada, summer also represents one of the busiest times for the hard-working farmers growing the main ingredient for those refreshing brews: barley.
Calgary International Beerfest—Western Canada’s largest beer festival—is a great opportunity for both new and established breweries, large and small, to showcase their inventive brews for thousands of appreciative beer lovers. At this year’s Beerfest, more than 100 breweries from around the world participated and more than 500 types of beer were available.
About 20 farmers attended a FarmSafe workshop in Grand Prairie on March 9, part of a series of learning days hosted by Alberta’s four crop commissions in conjunction with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
