Innovation & Technology

The Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA) is hoping a new document will make it easier for landowners to consider on-farm composting. “This is a really cool project,” says Christina Seidel, Executive Director, RCA. “There have been challenges with traditional composting approaches that really look at composting as waste management…and that’s fraught with problems, because when…

Twenty-eight producers in Alberta have new innovations and technologies on their farms, thanks to Rancher Researcher projects initiated by the Alberta Beef, Forage and Grazing Centre (ABFGC) and several Applied Research Associations. The projects started in 2017, with a three-year pilot. The Rancher Researcher Expansion Project started in 2020 and will wrap up next year….

Here’s a refreshing new tool designed right here in Alberta. How about a watering device that saves countless trips to the field mid-winter to keep animals hydrated?  Lee Smith from Consort devised an invention that does this very thing. Water Box provides 24 24-hour- drinking water to livestock all winter long. No need to chop…

In Canada and around the world, certain industry sectors take responsibility for managing their products and packaging when consumers/users are finished with them (typically called at ‘end of life’) so the resources can be recovered and reinvested in the economy. In these cases, a variety of market forces encourage these companies, called ‘producers’, that supply…

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) is announcing a new, metal wrap-around beef tag with RFID technology. The tag is produced by Shearwell Data. The microchip is overmolded in a plastic insert, allowing easy readability and uncompromised read range. In addition, Destron Fearing’s eTag (DMR RFID) has been upgraded. It now includes a fully molded outer…

2500 years ago, a Pharaoh in Egypt had a dream he couldn’t interpret. It involved 7 fat cows grazing by a river, sleek and fat in the sunshine. Then 7 lean cows came out of the river behind them and ate up the 7 fat cows and didn’t look any fatter for having done so….

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is in the process of updating the National Beef Sustainability Assessment (NBSA), expected for release in 2023. The NBSA provides farm to fork national sustainability performance metrics for the Canadian beef sector, from environmental, social and economic perspectives. The metrics from our first Assessment, released in 2016, are widely…

Cleanfarms and the Alberta Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG) are publishing a series of information articles for Alberta farmers to develop a shared understanding of the importance of used agricultural plastics resource management. Every farmer in Alberta who uses tools such as plastic grain bags, agricultural baler twine and bale wrap faces the same obstacles…

The Government of Canada is looking for support in delivering the On-Farm Climate Action Fund. The Fund will provide $200 million (2021-2024) towards the adoption of beneficial management practices to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions directly on farms. Support will go specifically to nitrogen management, cover cropping, and rotational grazing practices, though other…

If you have 10 minutes and an interest in offering your thoughts on agriculture research in Alberta, stick around. In October and November, the Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) is developing its strategic framework, which will help guide future investments, activities and efforts. “Our vision is to see Alberta’s agriculture and food sectors reach their…