Issues & Insights

Livestock investigator says some have lost upward of $50,000 due to bad cheques By Jade Markus, CBC Calgary Due to last summer’s drought and winter’s supply chain issues, cattle feed is still hard to come by in Alberta — and what’s available comes at a cost.  That’s leading to a surge in scams, thefts and bad…

When wild boar were first brought to the prairies, experts suggested crossing them with domestic pigs for a bigger, more reproductive animal. Unfortunately, some of the traits that make them great farm animals, also make them a wildly successful invasive pest. According to Dr. Ryan Brook, wild pig occurrences occupy just over one million square…

Three people share how they changed their minds about beef, becoming advocates for beef production By Piper Whelan, Canadian Cattlemen Magazine David Kleiman’s first visit to a ranch in the southern Alberta foothills was an awe-inspiring experience he’ll never forget. Nature and conservation have been life-long passions for Kleiman, a Calgary-based science teacher. After meeting…

From the makers of Guardians of the Grasslands, comes a new short documentary — Too Close to Home. Too Close to Home documents recent fires in British Columbia, and showcases the opportunity to utilize cattle to reduce fire risk. Too Close to Home premieres April 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. MT, with a panel discussion…

The beef industry is changing. Cattle are forward contracted at a historic volume; consolidation is rampant and foreign ownership is threading itself throughout the industry. Identity and certified programs capture much of the market through to slaughter, while feeder cattle continue to swap countries just as readily as they do provincial borders.   Export markets demand…

With highly pathogenetic avian influenza (HPAI) detected in wild and domestic birds in provinces across Canada, authorities are asking members of the public to report sick or dead birds. It’s especially important to report: Clusters of dead waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans) or other water birds (loons, shorebirds, wading birds). Any number of raptors or avian…

Of all the agricultural plastics on prairie farms, baler twine is one of the easiest to overlook when it comes to a commitment to recycle. Unlike grain bags, which when empty, are a massive amount of plastic laying in the field, baler twine accumulates in smaller bunches, seemingly innocuous, until they start to take over…

Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) is changing the way its temporary diversion license (TDL) applications are processed. Effective April 4, the process will move from the use of the Water Act Temporary Diversion License Electronic Review System (WATERS) to the new Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS). Alberta shifts Water Act licenses to DRAS This shift…

“It’s about family.” It’s among the first words expressed by Dyce Bolduc and his daughter Kaitlynn. They’re sitting down over a few cups of coffee after morning chores on their farm in Stavely, AB, two generations of purebred cattle operations at Cudlobe Angus.  Dyce can remember in detail the first three purebred Angus cows his…

A Ukrainian agriculture journalist chronicles the challenges of sowing a crop during wartime. By Ihor Pavliuk, GFM Network News Ukrainians will farm their land, even in the face of war. In the Kherson area of southern Ukraine, where war rages and the city of Kherson is seen by the Russian invaders as strategic, a column set…