While there are certainly naysayers to the idea of steeping compost, proponents argue the practice has incredible benefits in adding nutrients and biology to the land. Rob Wunder, a Saskatchewan cattle producer, is one of those proponents and has experimented in the design and application of his own compost tea. Inspired by various speakers and… Read More
Author: Debra Murphy
Debra Murphy is a Field Editor based out of central Alberta, where she never misses a moment to capture with her camera the real beauty of agriculture.
What has a bigger impact on the environment: a car or a cow? That was just one of the 20 questions professional home economist Mairlyn Smith asked people on the streets of Toronto last fall, in a film project called “Beef on the Street.” The project, initiated by the Alberta Beef Producers and Alberta Cattle… Read More
For Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, the principles of regenerative agriculture are nothing new. She jokes that at six months old, she learned them through osmosis when her dad took one of the first courses Allan Savory offered in the States in the early 80s. Stroeve-Sawa manages Shipwheel Cattle Feeders in Southern Alberta, an operation that incorporates a… Read More
Would you buy a steak, roast, or package of hamburger online? Changes in the way consumers are purchase food ingredients may offer new opportunities, and challenges, to the beef industry. Don Close is a senior analyst of animal protein at Rabo AgriFinance, and recently completed a report entitled Food Fight! — Online and Brick and Mortar Battle… Read More
In this piece: A brief background on the Cambridge Analytica situation | Personal data – do we know what we’re signing up for? | Mental health – how does using social media make us feel? | Will you #deletefacebook? We’ve known for a while that social media is a complicated beast, especially as it relates… Read More
It’s easy to overlook the resources post-secondary institutions provide outside of formal education, but facilities like Olds College’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production offer much more than a typical education track. “The Technology Access Centre is a new initiative made possible by NSERC [the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada],” says manager… Read More
In February, the Government of Canada announced it would launch consultations on front-of-package (FOP) labelling, as part of the Healthy Eating Strategy announced in late 2016. The labelling, according to a press release, would use a symbol to “provide a clear visual cue that a food is high in nutrients of public health concern.” The… Read More
Two years after the closure of its Medicine Hat distribution facility, PepsiCo has announced it will close the Spitz International Inc facility at Bow Island. PepsiCo first acquired the Alberta-based company ten years ago. The food and beverage giant sent this statement to RealAgriculture, February 16: “Yesterday we announced our difficult decision to close our… Read More
A ‘good rotation’ is often thought of as a cropping plan that involves diverse species, cultivars, and chemical actives. But that definition may be expanding, thanks to an ever-evolving understanding of soil health. “When you look at that environment, you kind of come down to five principles on soil health,” says United States Department Agriculture… Read More
Despite British Columbia Premier John Horgan’s assurance that getting involved in a trade war is not his intent, rumours of a looming Alberta Beef ban in the province continue to circulate. And where the rumours aren’t, the sudden, ill-advised political activists are — threatening boycotts of their own. It all stems from an ongoing dispute… Read More
I was in a conference call around access to mental health services last month, and a question came up that I’m sure a great many of us have considered: what can we do to break down stigma in our communities? Now, there are many ways we can go about breaking down stigma (worthy of a… Read More
Substance dependency is often reported as — and thought of as — an urban issue. Statistics blur the issue, showing high numbers of dependency, and, sadly, death, in areas of greater population. But addiction is not isolated to people who live in cities. From alcohol to tobacco to what we’ll focus on in this post,… Read More
From checking-in all visitors to showering-in/showering-out of production facilities, for many livestock operators, strict biosecurity protocols are top of mind. For the rest of us, even asking visitors about their recent travels seems unnecessary, and, perhaps, like an invasion of trust. But doing all we can to protect our animals from the introduction and/or spread… Read More
We often focus our efforts on what to add to a total mixed ration in order to offer our animals the highest plane of nutrition necessary for their life stage. But, what about the substances that could create serious health concerns, or even death? “Moulds are a fungal growth, and the mycotoxins are actually a… Read More
For some, technology like autonomous tractors and unmanned aerial vehicles offer great interest; for others, the quick advancements in robotics and data are overwhelming and intimidating. Will we soon see job losses? Will human presence on farms be made obsolete? Not at all, says Christine Su, co-founder and CEO of PastureMap, a company that makes… Read More