In the coming years, the Province will give not-for-profit, non-governmental ag societies across Alberta much needed help to address aging infrastructure. The 291 ag societies own and operate more than 900 facilities. These local landmarks include hockey and curling rinks, equestrian arenas, rodeo grounds and community halls.
From a peak of 1,755 in 1933, it’s estimated close to 100 of Alberta’s historic grain elevators remain standing, and Nanton came very close to losing three of its own when they were decommissioned in March 2001. “The demolition permit was signed, and they were hours away from being bulldozed,” said Leo Wieser, president of the town’s Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Society. “These are very important cultural icons; Prairie cathedrals that are so important to western Canadians.”
Despite the encouragement of crop groups and conservation outfits, winter wheat acreage in Western Canada has decreased sharply to 2.7 million tonnes in 2022 from the record high of 4.8 million in 2008. A sign this trend may reverse, acreage has increased slightly in Manitoba where farmers have struggled to seed spring wheat in wet fields.
While there’s no Tinder for business, Bunge and Viterra hope they’ve found the perfect match. The two companies announced their intent to merge in June 2023. Viterra brings more than 80 Canadian grain-handling centres to the blossoming relationship, along with sales to more than 70 nations. For its part, Bunge is the world’s largest processor of oilseeds, with 300 operations in 40 countries. Of course, with a celebrity wedding comes major scrutiny.
Starting in 2025, farmers with allowable net sales greater than $1 million must complete an agri-environmental risk assessment to receive funds from AgriInvest. A business risk management savings program of the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (SCAP), government will match farmer contributions up to one per cent of their net sales. Though details are yet to be fully developed, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) can be used to meet the requirement.
Largely unfamiliar to North Americans, barley tea is a staple in much of Asia, where it is consumed by people of all ages. Sisters Janice Ishizaka and Cilla Watkins launched The Canadian Barley Tea Company to introduce Canadians to the beverage.
The Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-Food (CANZA) recognizes the carbon credit market can potentially create agricultural revenue streams. As agricultural carbon pricing has slowly developed in recent years, sequestration has typically been measured by lab analysis of soil samples. Though effective, it is a slow and costly process. A rough estimate of $3.30 per acre for sample analysis would be combined with the cost of sampling and further processing. Farmers who wish to participate in the carbon assets market may require speedier data delivery at a lower cost.
BY IAN DOIG Kelly Dobson, a Manitoba farmer and certified executive coach, leads the National Farm Leadership Program in partnership with Farm Management Canada. The eighth iteration of the program kicks off Jan. 29, 2024, and the deadline to apply for this cohort is January 26. “Each year, the program grows and adapts,” said Dobson. […]
Located in a tidy, red tin barn just east of Calgary, Alberta Carriage Supply is the busiest equestrian equipment enterprise this side of the year 1901.
There’s an old saying: A garden of purple is always in bloom. A new barley variety promises one loaded with anthocyanins, a natural pigment with antioxidant properties linked to lowering the risk of diseases such as hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and cancer.
