Most read

Today Highlight

STUDY TO SIZE UP BARLEY FOOTPRINT

In recent years, the global brewing industry has increasingly focused on the environmental sustainability of beer. Many of the world’s largest breweries have set aggressive emissions reductions targets. This has been driven by a combination of jurisdictional regulations, corporate social responsibility goals and consumer demand. Much of the initial focus has been on manufacturing, packaging and transportation, but their initiatives increasingly encompass the entire supply chain including emissions associated with raw materials like barley malt.

Keep Reading
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

Each year, crop diseases diminish yields in Western Canada and around the globe. To address such perennial threats, Australian company BioScout created its signature product, an agricultural disease detection, spore identification and quantification system. Its purpose is to help farmers manage crop disease by identifying spores prior to the appearance of symptoms on the plants. BioScout has launched active pilot projects around the world to test the unit’s ability to detect diseases in crops such as fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, legumes and cereals.

Keep Reading
AGRICULTURE ON THE CUTTING EDGE

In its second big year, CrossRoads 2024 offers a vibrant selection of speakers and sessions from Jan. 29-31 at The Westin Calgary Airport. The event’s theme is “New ideas and directions: examining big picture innovation in agriculture.” This emphasis on innovation extends to a wide range of areas, including agronomy, business management, government policy and sustainability. The inaugural event attracted about 800 participants. CrossRoads is for farmers and a wide variety of agricultural professionals interested in its cutting-edge information sessions, lively and informative discussion opportunities and industry networking.

Keep Reading
JUST ADD WATER

Catherine Seidle developed a keen interest in the livestock and crop industries while growing up on a mixed farm near Saskatoon, SK. She studied animal science at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and went on to become a livestock and feed extension specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Now on a two-year sabbatical to complete a master’s project on ruminant nutrition, she works with Greg Penner, a USask professor and Centennial Enhancement Chair in ruminant nutritional physiology. She has joined Penner in his development of feed barley strategies that deal in part with variability of kernel size.

Keep Reading
BANKING ON CHANGE

A new program aimed at Canada’s agriculture sector can help prepare farms for the impacts of climate change and global demand for reduction of carbon emissions. BMO is Canada’s first large-scale financial institution to introduce such a program.  

Keep Reading
AG INSURER TO LAUNCH BMP DISCOUNT PROJECT

Under the latest five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Policy (SCAP) framework, each province must develop its own ag insurance initiative to promote a best management practice (BMP) that produces an environmental benefit while it reduces operational risk.  Farmers who employ the practice could receive a benefit through their premium calculations. In Alberta, program development falls to the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), which partners with the provincial and federal governments to create and deliver farm insurance products. “Every province has been given free rein to do whatever they feel is impactful in that province,” said Jesse Cole, AFSC manager of insurance products and product innovation.

Keep Reading
ACRES OF INSECT INFO

For 27 years, farmers and entomologists have co-operated to record insect data for the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (PPMN). This has produced a unique scientific resource not available in other parts of the world, said Meghan Vankosky, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada entomology research scientist and PPMN co-chair. Her peers in countries such as Australia have not surveyed the ebbs and flows of insect populations as widely or for as long as the PPMN. “Having so much information from such a huge geographical area over such a long period of time is very unique from what I understand,” she said.

Keep Reading
GRAINSWEST MARKS 10 YEARS CONNECTING FARMERS, FOOD AND IDEAS

Among the topics tackled in the first issue of GrainsWest, was UPOV 91. Hinting at the eventual outcome of the initiative, the magazine posed the question “will the tale of UPOV 91 end happily ever after?” An international project, the UPOV framework is intended to ensure plant breeders can protect and profit from their work, and so spur investment in crop variety development critical to Canadian farmers. The story was published in January 2014 as legislation to bring the nation’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act in line with UPOV moved through Parliament. The Legislative amendment was passed in 2015. GrainsWest flagged this as a turning point for Canadian agriculture, for better or worse.

Keep Reading
Go to TOP