Innovation & Technology

Cattle management is often limited by labor and time resources. Drone technology is helping relieve these pressures for farmers and ranchers. “Temple Grandin always says, ‘We manage what we measure,’” says John Church, Associate Professor in the Natural Resource Science Department at Thompson Rivers University. “Drones are one of our most efficient ways to observe,…

A two-year research study examines how virtual fencing technology might fit the Canadian landscape. European and U.S. cattle industries experienced an influx of livestock-based technologies lately including virtual fencing. While it appears successful in warmer climates, will this technology hold up in colder, Canadian regions to become a fixture of cattle management? Alexandra Harland, a…

Good-bye plastic! Nature’s Net Wrap, developed on a ranch east of Edmonton, will provide ranchers with a sustainable alternative, eliminating plastic waste. Compostable bale wrap is available for beef producers through CNH Industrial dealers starting May 2024.Nature’s Net Wrap is made from 100 per cent plant-based, renewable resources. Cofounded by Alberta ranchers Austin Ruud and…

The Government of Alberta is providing a $1.2-million grant over three years to the University of Calgary’s Simpson Centre for the Alberta Digitalization Agriculture Program. The Simpson Centre will conduct research to develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with the digitalization of agriculture as part of the program. This research will…

This story was brought to you in partnership with Olds College of Agriculture and Technology. The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is a specialized division committed to applied research in livestock production. The TACLP uses its resources – which include a 1,000-head capacity feedlot, commercial cow-calf…

I want you to take a moment and think about your “best” cow. She may not be the fanciest, or the stoutest, but I can pretty much guarantee she’s been around the block a few times. Maybe she even has a few daughters or granddaughters in the herd. She’s easily your favourite cow because she…

Following years of drought and a record-breaking wildfire season, pastures across Alberta are in poor condition. We asked rangeland ecologist Cameron Carlyle to bring us up to speed on the situation and provide some recommendations on how to help pastures recover. Across Alberta, wildfires and drought reduced available grazing acres in 2023, resulting in heavy…

Always access team support from an informed, knowledgeable lawyer and a trusted accountant when considering entering into a land lease with outside parties. Like their solar energy counterparts, wind energy companies are also dangling figurative carrots in front of Alberta’s landowners hoping to secure leases for wind infrastructure projects. And like solar leases, arrangements with…