BY BECKY ZIMMER • PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERTA AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION Pictured at the Madden and District Agricultural Society’s Madden Community Centre, from left: Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson, Society board members Janice Eckstrand, Dustin Helm and Jaime Clayton, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper. In the coming years, the Province will give not-for-profit, non-governmental ag societies across Alberta much needed help to address aging infrastructure. The 291 ag societies own and operate more than 900 facilities. These local landmarks include hockey an ..read more

From a peak of 1,755 in 1933, it’s estimated close to 100 of Alberta’s historic grain elevators remain standing, and Nanton came very close to losing three of its own when they were decommissioned in March 2001. “The demolition permit was signed, and they were hours away from being bulldozed,” said Leo Wieser, president of the town’s Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Society. “These are very important cultural icons; Prairie cathedrals that are so important to western Canadians.” Wieser credits Nanton’s strong community engagement for their last-minute rescue. Citizens formed the Save O ..read more

BY IAN DOIG • PHOTO COURTESY OF AAFC: AAC OVERDRIVE (LEFT) and AAC COLDFRONT Despite the encouragement of crop groups and conservation outfits, winter wheat acreage in Western Canada has decreased sharply to 2.7 million tonnes in 2022 from the record high of 4.8 million in 2008. A sign this trend may reverse, acreage has increased slightly in Manitoba where farmers have struggled to seed spring wheat in wet fields. Drought conditions over multiple years has stirred interest among Alberta and Saskatchewan farmers as well, said Harwinder Sidhu, head of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lethbr ..read more

BY PETER WATTS • PHOTO COURTESY OF CMBTC Canada produces some of the world’s best malting barley. While new varieties supply high end-use quality and disease resistance, farmers can help ensure it meets the needs of domestic and international malting and brewing customers. Canada leads barley and malt exporters for desirable protein levels. Critical for maltsters and brewers, protein provides enzymes that break down starches into fermentable sugars during processing, provides food (nitrogen) for yeast during fermentation and provides mouth feel and foam stability in finished beer. Excess prote ..read more

BY KYLE LARKIN Sustainability dominates today’s agricultural policy conversations, whether it be the clothes we wear, the energy we consume or the food we eat. Farmers are under growing pressure to meet the food and fuel needs of the global population amid rising costs of production. This dichotomy often makes it seem like sustainability and profitability are at odds. The confusion and mistrust around these conversations have been exacerbated by government policies directed toward Canadian farmers. Look no further than the recent fertilizer emissions reduction target, which failed to account f ..read more

BY ELLEN PRUDEN Following the release of its 2023 New Wheat Crop report in November of last year, Cereals Canada led four international New Wheat Crop Trade and Technical Missions to showcase the quality of Canadian wheat to customers and buyers. Mission team members included representatives of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), exporters and farmers from four provincial wheat organizations. Alberta farmer Dean Hubbard was a participant. Alberta Grains board member and vice-chair of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition, he took part in the durum trade and technical mission. Hubbard visited ..read more

BY JAY STEEVES • PHOTO COURTESY OF OLDS COLLEGE As the agricultural landscape undergoes a significant shift, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology stays attuned to the industry’s emerging needs and trends such as the critical challenge posed by the current labour shortage. We perceive this challenge as an opportunity to sculpt the future of agriculture through progressive education and state-of-the-art technology. We recognize the demands of agriculture are evolving, and success in the field demands an expanded skillset. The integration of precision agriculture, data analytics and autom ..read more

BY NEIL TOWNSEND China is a top destination for Canadian barley, canola and wheat. Canada has typically had the largest market share for canola and been competitive in malting barley. Both of these crops have experienced the rollercoaster of Chinese trade policy. While market access for canola was restricted during the Huawei crisis, Canadian barley benefitted from China’s diplomatic spat with Australia. Generally unaffected by politics, Canada is China’s main source of high-quality wheat, primarily CWRS. At more than 136 million tonnes annually, China is the world’s largest wheat producer. Th ..read more

BY ZOLTAN VARADI • PHOTOS COURTESY OF AITC-C Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) wants your help to raise ag awareness among young Canadians through its “I Am Ag” social media campaign. Launched in November of last year, the initiative invites agriculture professionals to “celebrate your uniqueness and show others that there’s a place for everyone in our great industry.” Participants create a short video animated by AI and share it to their social media accounts. To do so, visit iamag.ca/en-ca and follow the steps listed. It’s a relatively quick and easy process, and if this reporter ..read more

BY KAITLIN PACKER BERGER • PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOASH SIEMENS As consumer demand for organic cereals grows, so does the draw for farmers to serve this specialized market with its premium prices. GrainsWest spoke with organic farmers who said this premium is typically 1.5 to two times greater than conventional pricing. The rising cost of conventional inputs and farmland make it an attractive option for those who want to grow a highly profitable crop while they carry less overhead. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. This non-conventional sector requires strategic farm management on an indi ..read more