Farming

(Black Press file photo)

Early harvest prompts some safety tips from Lacombe County

A dry, hot summer has kicked-off an earlier-than-usual harvest season in Lacombe…

 

(Black Press file photo). The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) announced that the first annual BeGrainSafe Week will be held from August 16 to 23. (Black Press file photo).

First BeGrainSafe Week highlights dangers associated with grain asphyxiation

There were 36 asphyxiation-related farm fatalities in Canada between 2006-2015, according to…

 

Central Alberta farmers are expecting lower than normal yields due to drought-like conditions and lack of rain this season. (File photo by The Canadian Press)

Dry conditions remind central Alberta farmers of 2002 drought

Yields expected to be low because of a lack of rain in many areas

 

Rahr Malting Co., in Alix, will use steeping water, a byproduct of the malting process, on 100 hybrid poplar trees that were recently planted at its facility. (Contributed photo)

Central Alberta malting plant reusing water on hybrid trees

A central Alberta malting facility is growing a forest of trees through…

Rahr Malting Co., in Alix, will use steeping water, a byproduct of the malting process, on 100 hybrid poplar trees that were recently planted at its facility. (Contributed photo)
Cherries at Pravin Dhaliwal’s family farm in Oliver, B.C., are seen cooked on their trees, when the temperature hit a record 41.5 C in a June 2021 handout photo. Dhaliwal is trying to maintain his passion as a third-generation farmer while dealing with the reality of climate change and says farmers need more support from provincial and federal governments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Pravin Dhaliwal

Farmers say heat wave, drought show vulnerable agricultural sector needs support

Farmers for Climate Solutions say the future of farming in Canada will require government support

Cherries at Pravin Dhaliwal’s family farm in Oliver, B.C., are seen cooked on their trees, when the temperature hit a record 41.5 C in a June 2021 handout photo. Dhaliwal is trying to maintain his passion as a third-generation farmer while dealing with the reality of climate change and says farmers need more support from provincial and federal governments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Pravin Dhaliwal
Canola crops are feeling the heat and farmers are hoping forecasted rain happens this weekend. (Black Press file photo)THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Central Alberta farmers need rain, and soon

Heat wave followed drier-than-usual May and June

Canola crops are feeling the heat and farmers are hoping forecasted rain happens this weekend. (Black Press file photo)THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A moth-killing drone hovers over crops in a green house in Monster, Netherlands, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. A Dutch startup is using drones to kill moths in midair as a way of protecting valuable crops in greenhouses that are damaged by caterpillars. PATS Indoor Drone Solutions emerged from the work of a group of students looking for ways to kill mosquitos in their dorm rooms. The drones themselves are very basic, but they are steered by smart technology and special cameras that scan the airspace in greenhouses. When the cameras detect a moth, a drone is set on a collision course with the bug, destroying the bug with its rotors. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)

Drones vs hungry moths: Dutch use hi-tech to protect crops

Drones instantly kill the moths by flying into them

  • Mar 8, 2021
A moth-killing drone hovers over crops in a green house in Monster, Netherlands, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. A Dutch startup is using drones to kill moths in midair as a way of protecting valuable crops in greenhouses that are damaged by caterpillars. PATS Indoor Drone Solutions emerged from the work of a group of students looking for ways to kill mosquitos in their dorm rooms. The drones themselves are very basic, but they are steered by smart technology and special cameras that scan the airspace in greenhouses. When the cameras detect a moth, a drone is set on a collision course with the bug, destroying the bug with its rotors. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)
(File photo by Advocate staff)

Alberta farmers saw increase in crop revenue in 2020

Cattle revenue decreased

(File photo by Advocate staff)
Protesting farmers and their families gather around a bonfire to mark the harvest festival, which is called Lohri, on a blocked highway in protest against new farm laws on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Changes in India’s farm laws could potentially open up one of the world’s most populous markets and are being closely watched by Canada’s agricultural and economic sectors, say experts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Altaf Qadri

Changes in Indian farm laws could benefit Canada, experts say

Independent committee of experts to negotiate with opponents of legislation

Protesting farmers and their families gather around a bonfire to mark the harvest festival, which is called Lohri, on a blocked highway in protest against new farm laws on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Changes in India’s farm laws could potentially open up one of the world’s most populous markets and are being closely watched by Canada’s agricultural and economic sectors, say experts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Altaf Qadri
A fall stretch of long, warm weather has meant a much better harvest than last year, when this kind of snow arrived a month earlier.Photo by PAUL COWLEY/Advocate staff

Good harvest ahead of schedule before snow hit

No repeat of last year’s harvest from hell caused by snowy September

  • Oct 16, 2020
A fall stretch of long, warm weather has meant a much better harvest than last year, when this kind of snow arrived a month earlier.Photo by PAUL COWLEY/Advocate staff
Surging demand for wheat, canola boost struggling Ontario shippers

Surging demand for wheat, canola boost struggling Ontario shippers

From April to August 5.2 million tonnes of grain passed through Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway

Surging demand for wheat, canola boost struggling Ontario shippers
Farmers hoping no ‘harvest from hell’ repeat this year

Farmers hoping no ‘harvest from hell’ repeat this year

September snow and plummeting temperatures hampered harvest in 2019

Farmers hoping no ‘harvest from hell’ repeat this year
FILE - In this April 16, 2020, file photo, people wait in line at The Campaign Against Hunger food pantry in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in the cities and the countryside. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Pandemic brings hard times for farmers, worsening hunger

United Nations looking for solutions

  • Sep 1, 2020
FILE - In this April 16, 2020, file photo, people wait in line at The Campaign Against Hunger food pantry in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in the cities and the countryside. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Opening day at the Lacombe Corn Maze at the Kraay Family Farm is July 17. (Photo contributed)

Central Alberta farmers hope for heat

80 per cent good to excellent crops

Opening day at the Lacombe Corn Maze at the Kraay Family Farm is July 17. (Photo contributed)
Rain taking toll on farmers’ crops

Rain taking toll on farmers’ crops

Dry, warm weather needed

Rain taking toll on farmers’ crops
Ranchers expect the impact of the pandemic to appear in the fall when the calves are sold, in a June 1, 2020 story. (Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS)

‘It’s unsettling:’ Ranchers and feedlots worried about future impact of COVID-19

CREMONA, Alta. — A cacophony of bellowing cattle makes it hard to…

  • Jun 1, 2020
Ranchers expect the impact of the pandemic to appear in the fall when the calves are sold, in a June 1, 2020 story. (Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The U.S. Agriculture Department said loan delinquency may increase because of the coronavirus pandemic, in a May 21, 2020 story. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

US farmers leaning more heavily on government loan programs

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. — Farmers across the nation leaned more heavily upon…

  • May 22, 2020
The U.S. Agriculture Department said loan delinquency may increase because of the coronavirus pandemic, in a May 21, 2020 story. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Innisfail Growers operates a drive-thru mini market at 179 Leva Ave., in the parking lot of the strip mall just north of Turple Bros. in Gasoline Alley. (Photo from Facebook)

Curbside farmers market a hit in Gasoline Alley

Innisfail Growers run Saturday market

Innisfail Growers operates a drive-thru mini market at 179 Leva Ave., in the parking lot of the strip mall just north of Turple Bros. in Gasoline Alley. (Photo from Facebook)
In December 2019, the National Farmers Union released its report — Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis: A Transformative Strategy for Canadian Farms and Food Systems. (File photo)

Farming organization recognizes climate crisis

National Farmers Union speaks to central Albertans

In December 2019, the National Farmers Union released its report — Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis: A Transformative Strategy for Canadian Farms and Food Systems. (File photo)
Shelley Bradshaw and Austin Lind, with Innisfail Growers, help a customer at The Market at Red Deer. Bradshaw, along with other investors, wants to build an indoor farmers market in Gasoline Alley that would boast a microbrewery, a kitchen and seating area. (Advocate file art)

Indoor farmers market coming to Gasoline Alley

Indoor market to be housed in new building that could be open by Thanksgiving

Shelley Bradshaw and Austin Lind, with Innisfail Growers, help a customer at The Market at Red Deer. Bradshaw, along with other investors, wants to build an indoor farmers market in Gasoline Alley that would boast a microbrewery, a kitchen and seating area. (Advocate file art)