A team of researchers out of the University of Saskatchewan is looking to culture and identify fungi from native rangelands in a step towards developing inoculums to improve forage productivity and salinity tolerance. What they’ll do The team will take soil samples from saline and non-saline native rangeland in Alberta and Saskatchewan, quantify soil characteristics,…
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. Modern farming utilizes technologies and innovative products that can help farmers operate efficiently with a goal of higher productivity yields in both…
Designed to bridge the gap between landowners and hunting and recreational users, the Canadian Land Access Systems (CLAS) virtual platform gives producers and other landowners the ability to specify rules and limit liability for land access, all through an online interface. “The story of CLAS begins with two guys talking over coffee at the end of a long…
By Ron Lyseng, The Western Producer Monitoring heat cycles in beef and dairy cows improves breeding success. Better heat detection means higher percentages. Transmitted real-time digital data from within the rumen gives farmers ultimate information. The folks at Moonsyst Smart Rumen Monitoring figured that if researchers can install lights and video cameras inside a cow’s…
By Morgan Black, Global News A made-in-Alberta success story is taking flight after a University of Alberta professor found a way to transform agriculture and forestry waste into jet fuel. Dr. David Bressler is the project lead of FORGE Hydrocarbons. He has studied the conversion of agricultural and forestry material into fuels, chemicals and materials for…
Photo: Supplied by ERA Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) is committing $33 million to 17 technology innovation projects in the province, through the Food, Farming, and Forestry Challenge. The technologies selected are all in pilot, demonstration, or first-of-kind commercial deployment stage, and include six projects in the agriculture and agri-food sector, with five directly applicable to…
Canada’s national beef conference will be hosting the industry virtually for the second year in a row! CBIC has moved a few weeks later and will be hosted from August 31 – September 2, 2021, with more details being released in the upcoming months. Each day will host a variety of sessions/courses and will give…
University of Saskatchewan WCVM Today by Lianne Price Johne’s disease is an incurable enteric disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis. The pathogen causes extreme diarrhea with severe weight loss resulting in death. Over 67 per cent of Canada’s dairy herds are infected with this chronic infectious disease, which spread quickly throughout dairy herds as…
A new pilot project has been launched to help conserve native grasslands, one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada, which remain under pressure from development. The “Retaining Canada’s Grasslands Using Carbon Offset Markets” is a two-year pilot that will allow landowners and ranchers to generate carbon offsets for carbon stored in conserved grasslands in…
Planet of Plenty by Lauren Harris For years, cattle have carried the weight of the world in the climate change story — viewed as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions due to the methane they belch as well as digesting certain foods. While it’s true that beef cattle and dairy cows create methane, we need to…
As someone who follows the BCRC Blog, you’re almost guaranteed to be what we call a ‘Canadian beef industry stakeholder’, meaning you own or manage beef cattle, conduct research on beef, cattle or forages, are a large animal veterinarian, own or work for an abattoir/beef processor, are a government employee in a beef-related role, work or…
Canadian Cattlemen by Lisa Guenther A recent two-year trial examined the effects of 3-NOP, an additive developed by Royal DSM, in the diets of both finishing and backgrounding cattle. Recent research out of Alberta has confirmed that a novel feed additive cuts methane emissions from feedlot cattle by as much as 80 per cent, depending…