It’s been 40 years since the Government of Canada released its first soil health report, which called for the nation to address a then-dire future of its soils. On June 6, the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry tabled a new report that followed 17 months of consultation, input from expert witnesses, international conferences and cross-country, fact-finding missions. It is entitled Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health.

Two Alberta businesses have found value in the rescue of spent grain, a byproduct of the brewing process. Such products illustrate the previously overlooked value of food waste.

Spurred by shrinking barley acreage over the past 20 years, western Canadian cattle feeders have increasingly included wheat in feedlot diets. Over this time, Canadian barley acreage declined by nearly 155,000 acres annually on average, while wheat production climbed approximately 440,000 acres each year. Though its availability and cost competitiveness have made it a natural choice, little research had been conducted to examine the use of wheat in cattle rations.

Crop exports are a huge source of revenue for Alberta’s ag industry as is evidenced by its $16.2 billion economic contribution. However, the province’s domestic food manufacturing sales sector was worth a whopping $22.7 billion that same year.

Canterra Seeds partnered with Maker’s Malt of Rosthern, SK, and Rafter R Brewing of Maple Creek, SK, to test the performance of a new barley variety in the field, malthouse and brewery. Registered in 2022, AAC Prairie is touted as a successor to AC Metcalfe as it boasts an even more robust enzyme package. This is desirable for multinational breweries as the adjuncts they use, such as corn and rice, lack the enzymes that break down carbohydrates into fermentable sugars. The malt component must oversupply enzymes to compensate.

While demand for flour products jumped by 24 per cent in Alberta between 2019 and 2022, the province’s exports of wheat and meslin flour also increased to $19.8 million in 2023 from $8.6 million in 2019.

Alberta farmers have a new option to be paid for the C02 they sequester. A program by Trimble will compensate those who demonstrate and quantify sustainable on-farm nitrogen management practices.

One of several regional chapters of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s 10-year, $185-million Agricultural Climate Solutions — Living Labs Program, AALL conducted its first season in 2023. Its emphasis on real-world results unites farmers and scientists to study practices and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon and benefit the economic bottom line of farmers.

Up to half the world’s stored grains—1.6 billion tonnes—can be subject to spoilage every year. Such losses impair efforts to meet growth in global food demand. In response, two recent studies applied cutting-edge technology to better understand grain spoilage and seek solutions.

The intent of the Nuffield Canada Scholarship program is to connect agricultural scholars with farmers and ag professionals across the globe. Established in 1950, the program is geared towards mid-career individuals, it empowers recipients with $15,000 and a two-year mandate to travel and research a topic of their choosing.