Business Tools

Sellers and buyers alike look forward to bull sale season as it’s the culmination of years of hard work meeting the excitement of anticipating the next generation of calves. Picture it: multiple beef producers visiting different farms, auction markets and ag societies while looking for the next addition to their herd, all in the context…

Both livestock and crop receipts experienced an increase from January to December 2023, according to Statistics Canada (StatsCan). Livestock receipts experienced a 9.8 per cent increase in 2023, reaching $37.3 billion, while total crop receipts saw a 2.0 per cent increase, reaching $54.9 billion compared to the previous year. The cattle industry accounted for over…

No matter what goals you’ve set for your beef operation, the Feeder Associations of Alberta has timely, low-cost financing options to help your business thrive. Jake Wedman may have been raised on a mixed farming and dairy operation, but when it came time to build something of his own, the beef industry was calling his…

At a time when Canadian agriculture continues to struggle with a chronic worker shortage, new data from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) has found that by the year 2030, there will be more than 100,000 vacant jobs to fill in the industry.  This labour market supply and demand forecast is a study conducted by The…

Historical AgriStability analysis demonstrates that capturing full winter feed and pasture cost, along with removing feed inventory price swings during droughts, could significantly improve the responsiveness of the AgriStability program for Alberta’s cow-calf sector. A pilot study will be undertaken to determine the most appropriate program design under various winter-feeding practices. In early 2023, AFSC…

Elanco Canada – a subsidiary of a global animal health leader Elanco Animal Health – has announced the launch of a farm animal sustainability initiative, Leave it Better. Following its launch in the United States in 2022, Leave it Better will unite the scope of Elanco Canada’s sustainability work with pork, poultry, beef and dairy…

The 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative is expanding eligibility to 23 new regions and extending the application deadline. Livestock producers in eligible regions who altered their usual grazing practices due to drought conditions for more than 21 days this season can apply for financial support to cover losses incurred to manage and maintain female…

Biosecurity hazards on beef operations are sometimes overlooked, however, the risk of introducing disease onto your farm is real and more common than you may think. Routine practices such as shared fence lines, buying in replacement breeding heifers or bulls, borrowing stock trailers or outsourcing farm work can bring unwanted diseases onto your farm. Even producers who consider…

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is excited to announce a new Sustainability Incentive Program that will support crop producers who follow Fertilizer Canada’s 4R Nutrient Stewardship program using AgExpert. The program encourages producers to adopt 4R best management practices to help protect the environment without compromising their competitiveness. The program, announced at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, Sask.,…

To get a better picture of Alberta farmers and ranchers’ mental health needs and struggles, AgKnow is launching a Farm Mental Health Survey. The survey, according to AgKnow, is to help drive change in mental health support for farming communities across the province. “Your responses pave the way for tailored support programs that directly address…