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Producers are reminded that the deadline to sign up for Moisture Deficiency Insurance (MDI) is February 28. Moisture Deficiency Insurance is designed to provide coverage when precipitation levels fall below historical averages during the growing season. The program can help offset feed costs and reduce financial risk in dry conditions. Producers who wish to participate…

Grazing early in the season (April and May) reduces reliance on stored feed and allows beef producers to make the most of stockpiled perennial forage resources. According to the 2025 Canadian Cow-Calf Adoption Rates and Performance Levels Report, up to 61 per cent of Canadian producers winter cattle in pastures for all or part of…

An Alberta-developed multi-tasking sensor technology is starting to create some buzz in the livestock world. Wandering Shepherd has generated interest in its wireless rumen bolus identification device close to home and as far away as Africa. In November, developers shared their pitch in the Ag Innovation Competition during Agri-Trade in Red Deer, where producers in…

The first 24 hours of a beef calf’s life are the most vulnerable. During the Beef Cattle Research Council’s webinar, Early Calf Life Survival, Dr. Roger Richard of Shoal Lake Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Claire Windeyer from University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine and Heidi Bennett with W.A. Ranches discussed navigating calving and the critical early life…

The Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab (AALL) continues to strengthen collaboration between producers, researchers, and partners across Alberta to test, refine, and share innovative best management practices (BMPs) that enhance resilience and profitability on crop, livestock and forage operations. Most of the core producers implementing BMPs through the AALL were in their third field season in…

Twelve youth gathered at the Calgary Stampede’s OH Ranch this fall for Steer Selection Day, the official kickoff to the Calgary Stampede’s 2025–26 OH Ranch Branded Beef Youth Ambassador Program. The day brought together this year’s ambassadors and their families for orientation, hands-on learning, and the key event: selecting the steer each youth will raise…

The Great Twine Round-Up contest is back for 2026, encouraging Alberta producers and youth to recycle plastic baler twine while supporting local communities and agricultural charities. The initiative is part of the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! pilot project. Alberta-based 4-H clubs, district members, and independent entrants are invited to collect and recycle used plastic baler…

Unauthorized construction at confined feeding operations is on the rise The Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) is seeing a significant increase in unauthorized construction at confined feeding operations across Alberta. Compared to 2024, complaints related to unauthorized construction are up approximately 32 per cent, while enforcement actions have increased by about 125 per cent. This…

It’s not your average deck of cards. There are no kings or queens and the game involves as much talking as it does thinking. It can be played alone like solitaire, in pairs, as a family or with a team. Conversation cards they are called — and there are thousands of these decks found in…

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) has announced that its CRSB Certified program is now recognized as an agri-environmental risk assessment (AERA) under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInvest program. This means that beef producers who are CRSB Certified and require an AERA to participate in AgriInvest can use their certification to meet that requirement for the government…