Agricultural News

Since the last report on October 4th, 2023, reasonable rains, for this time of year, have continued to fall across much of the Southern Region and about 60% of the Central Region along with the west-half of the North West Region. In fact some parts of the Southern Region and Central Regions have received above normal rain fall for this time of year. However, this is a normally dry time of year and above average moisture while beneficial, is still not enough to reverse long standing moisture deficits. It does, although bring hope to those that have suffered long running moisture deficits and begins to fuel some optimism for the 2024 cropping season.

Are you a graduate of the LandView Ag Drone School? Do you want to take your skills to the next level?

LandView is offering a two-day Drone Spraying Clinic aimed to show participants how to operate a spraying drone, go through best practices for application, and discuss the regulatory aspects for both aviation and pesticide application. The day day course will allow for hands-on learning, including designing your own spraying missions, complete calibration processes, and using Pix4Dfields software to go from multispectral map to spraying prescription.

The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is offering a free webinar series for beef producers and vet teams focusing on practical, science-based information with topics including managing the long-term implications of drought, heifer development, and calf management. The first webinar will be held on November 15, 2023.

Join the Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) at the Holiday Inn & Suites Grande Prairie Conference Centre for the APG Zone 4 AGM. Regional directors and advisors, along side APG staff will be there to provide information and a chance to meet with other pulse producers in the area.

Crop Report, provided by the Government of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, as of October 10, 2023.

The Agricultural Society Innovation Award recognizes Agricultural Societies in Alberta for their innovation, resilience, and commitment to their communities.

In 2022, the program recognized three (3) Agricultural Societies which made tremendous impacts on their communities. Foremost & District Agricultural Society collaborated with Foremost School to create an exclusive Rodeo Academy for Grades 7-12, the first of its kind for this age group. The program was open to both out-of-town and international students and has been integrated into the curriculum, with the capacity to draw attendees for years to come.

The Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network (BMN) is now accepting applications!

Young Agrarians (YA) is a farmer to farmer educational resource network for new and young ecological, organic, and regenerative farmers in Canada. It is volunteer-driven, with farmers across the country organizing on-farm events and building community to create spaces for knowledge sharing and growth. YA is comprised of people new to agriculture, rural or urban, who value food, farmers, ecology, and community. Their core focus demographic is 20-40 years but they accept agrarians of all ages.

Crop Report, provided by the Government of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, as of October 3, 2023.

Alberta’s government is launching the Agricultural Societies Infrastructure Revitalization Program, a new capital grant that allocates $2.5 million annually to help ag societies update existing facilities.

These buildings are central hubs in their communities, offering residents and visitors opportunities to gather, build connections and engage with their neighbours. Alberta’s communities need effective, up-to-date facilities to encourage community involvement and growth.

Since September 14, 2023, most of southern Alberta has finally received much needed rain.  Although amounts have been modest through the central (10-15 mm) and northern portions of the region (5-10 mm), it has still been welcome.