Issues & Insights

If you’ve been impacted by Alberta’s recent wildfires, you may be wondering how to help your pastures recover. While there is more research on pasture recovery after a late season fire, there are still some guidelines to consider in light of early season fires. Grasslands evolved with fire, and in most cases their roots won’t…

The Province of Alberta has released emergency grazing options to support producers who have evacuated their livestock due to the ongoing wildfires. The guidelines from the provincial government are as follows: Under the provincial state of emergency, grazing disposition holders with grazing capacity can accept livestock from other producers subject to the following conditions: The…

By Tonya Lwiwski, Riparian Specialist at Cows and Fish Springtime. Returning birdsong marks the morning hours, the lengthening daylight and the melting snow are all welcome signs of the end of winter. While this season of rejuvenation makes us want to get outside, spring is also a sensitive time for riparian areas. Before turning those…

Ranchers are receiving recognition for their role in managing Alberta’s Crown rangelands with the creation of a new grazing framework. The Rangeland Grazing Framework, announced Wednesday, outlines the standards for sustainable use and management of Alberta’s Crown rangelands, highlighting the contributions of grazing disposition holders in the stewardship of these public lands. “The framework recognizes…

Many beef and dairy producers in Alberta protect livestock feed by covering it with special plastic film widely used in agriculture today. Whether it’s silage bags or tubes, large tarps that cover the top of the silage piles, or plastic stretch film used to wrap hay bales, once the plastic is removed and no longer…

We are disappointed to see the anti-feedlot bias being shared in some educational materials in Alberta, as reported in a recent Western Producer article: Anti-feedlot bias found in Alta. school materials. One of ABP’s continued priorities in working with government is advocating for accurate and informative agricultural education.  Teachers interested in educational materials around beef…

By Sheri Hathaway, The Western Producer In 1951, the world was recovering from the Second World War, financially and emotionally. People looked for new ways to get ahead. Willi Bruntjen, a 29-year-old farm worker, left his homeland of Germany on Oct. 15 and came to Canada seeking a new life. He wore his only clothes,…

Recycling agricultural plastic pesticide and fertilizer containers 23L and under – a familiar practice to many Alberta farmers – is being updated. At the request of the Agricultural Service Boards (ASB) that have been offering jug collection services in Alberta, Cleanfarms is moving recycling collection locations from municipalities to local ag retailers. The process is…

By Robert Arnason, The Western Producer When Martin Unrau was president of the Canadian Cattle Association about a decade ago, he frequently delivered the same message to politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa. It was simple: government shouldn’t favour one sector within agriculture over other sectors. Most of the time, whoever was listening would nod and…

The Canadian beef industry breathed a collective sigh of relief to learn a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank is on the horizon. As part of the 2023 Federal Budget, $57.5 million over five years was designated to create the FMD vaccine bank within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and to develop an emergency response plan….