Innovation & Technology

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…

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…

RDAR has announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Redmond as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1. Dr. Gerald Hauer has filled the role of interim CEO since the organization’s inception and will continue to assist in the transition. Dr. Redmond joins RDAR with over 25 years of experience in business, research and academics…

More than $2.9 million dollars will be invested by beef producers into new research and technology transfer projects in 2021 through the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off.  Proposals for twenty-nine more projects have been approved for funding by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) to advance Canada’s beef sector. Matt Bowman, BCRC Chair and a producer…

Successful Farming by Bill Spiegel Billy Beane upended professional baseball in the early 1990s when he added unprecedented levels of data analysis to traditional player scouting metrics of running, fielding, throwing, hitting, and hitting for power.   The general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s use of data – called sabermetrics in baseball jargon…

Moose Jaw Today by Ron Walter New technology changed agriculture when global positioning service (GPS) first became available about 20 years ago. GPS allows farmers to map fields for fertilizer and chemical needs and reduce or increase these inputs as necessary. The year 2021 may become known as the year agriculture once again adopted new…