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 Fores...

Over the past century, we have seen the rise and subsequent fall of a western Canadian grain handling system run by co-operatives—its fall due in some measure to management mistakes....

When confronted with the question of who owns western Canadian farmland, the most obvious answer is farmers—and in the majority of cases, this is true. However, concerns have started to emerge about t...

A grain bin looms large over the tasting room at Tool Shed Brewing near Calgary’s city centre. After 125 years of storing grain at Antler Valley Farm near Red Deer, it stands as a tribute to malt barl...

“Whatever you do, do it right, and for the right reasons, or don’t do it at all.” It’s a lesson his dad taught him early and often, and one that has guided him throughout his working life. ...

Brent McBean has grown malt barley on his farm near Strathmore for decades. He is well aware of the variables and risks that factor into producing a successful end product—one that rewards him with a ...

“Riding shotgun” is a term that was coined during the days when stagecoaches were the fastest means of transportation across rural North America. If the cargo being carried was valuable, then a securi...

Large grain co-operatives in Western Canada began around the early 1900s, but had faded out by the early 2000s—the grain industry had become more competitive and co-operatives lacked the efficiency ne...

Unlocking a new market opportunity for Canadian farmers, food processors and retailers isn’t a process that happens overnight. Turning the potential into reality can take months, even years, of carefu...

The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) released its 2016-17 recommended varieties list and it looks eerily similar to last year’s— Copeland, Metcalfe and then all the rest....