Rural Roots Canada

Stanton Farms, a dairy farm in Ilderton, Ontario, strives to be on the cutting edge of sustainability, which often means working through the challenges of being ahead of its time. Because of this trailblazing work, the Stantons have been named 2023 recipients of Alltech Canada’s Planet of Plenty™ award. “Alltech is globally respected and a leader in its field,” Jeff Stanton said during a recent presentation at the Alltech ONE World Tour stop in Calgary. “To receive this recognition is a great honor.”

A dry growing season ended with more precipitation in some parts of the province in August. Looking back at August, Meteorologist David Spence says precipitation varied depending on the region. Central Alberta saw above average rainfall, while southern Alberta was extremely dry. Spence says it's important to have some precipitation in the coming months to ensure there is a good moisture base in the soil for the start of next year's growing season. The meteorologist also weighs in on when we can expect to see frost in the different parts of Alberta in this feature. For more on this story go to Rural Roots Canada.com. This feature is powered by Proven Seed.

Winter feeding systems can improve the efficiency of your farm. Dr. Breeanna Kelln is the Beef Industry Research Chair in Integrated Forage Management and Utilization and an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. She says keeping livestock on your cropland during the winter months can help forage production in future years. Kelln and Melissa Atchison, co-owner of Poplarview Stock Farm as well as the Research and Extension Specialist with Manitoba Beef, presented at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary in August. Kelln says winter feeding on cropland will create efficiencies on operations and, potentially, increase production of forage the following year.

Herd management is vital in improving sustainability. Ensuring you have the most up-to-date, accurate management information and regulatory reporting data requires time and effort.  Flokk aims to make that process as simple as possible. The Alberta-based company has developed a comprehensive digital integration system that gathers various herd information, allowing beef producers to be more efficient and providing more traceability reporting. The Flokk systems includes a handheld device designed to be a producer's constant companion in the field. Its robust software collects crucial herd data, provides real-time access to herd information, and allows complete Canadian traceability reporting.

The Wray family of Irricana, Alberta has been awarded the 2023 Canadian Cattle Association's Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for their stewardship and vision. "The biggest thing is that cattle ranchers and cattle are working alongside natural ecosystems. If managed carefully and attentively, cattle not only pair with many of our landscapes, they're actually part of its vibrancy." - Tim Wray This feature powered by Proven Seed. For more on this story go to Rural Roots Canada.com

Getting succession plans started can be difficult. RRC's Craig Lester and Dalke Law's Eric Dalke explore the hang-ups that keep families from having tough talks about a farm's future. They cover everything from how a third party in the room can lower the temperature of the dispute, how people are not alone with their family disputes, and what unique succession characteristics exist in the cattle industry amongst many other topics. For more on this story go to Rural Roots Canada.com.

Alberta Open Farm Day events took place across the province on Saturday and Sunday. Rural Roots Canada ventured down to Lethbridge to take in Farming Smarter's event. In this episode, RRC's Craig Lester chats with Jamie Puchinger from Farming Smarter about the importance of bridging the gap with consumers, Keshav Singh from Agriculture and Agrifood Canada on research he and his team are doing to advance technology in crop management. He also talks with agronomist Scott Gillespie, owner of Plants Dig Soils, about the skillsets required to have a career as an agronomist. For more on this story, you can go to Rural Roots Canada.com.

Farms across Alberta are opening their gates this week as part of Open Farm Days. We talk to Charlotte Wasylik of Chatsworth Farms near Vermillion, Alberta on what they have planned and how they have embraced telling their story to consumers year-round.  More information on Open Farm Days and the locations can be found at ruralrootscanada.com

Barley lodging can cause a lot of headaches when it comes time to harvest and has a detrimental effect on yield. SaskBarley Research and Extension Manager Mitchell Japp explains ongoing research, Barley Lodging, Getting to the Root of the Problem, aimed at helping plant breeders develop barley varieties that has better resistance to lodging. If you enjoy this feature be sure to check out the Podcast Farm at Rural Roots Canada.com.

In this episode, I chat with Stephen Nicholson, Global Sector Strategist-Grain & Oilseed for Rabobank, as to what we can expect in terms of wheat prices as producers move into harvest. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to check out the Podcast Farm at Rural Roots Canada.com.

In this episode, we get an update on the beef markets and what producers can expect this Fall. Lance Zimmerman is a Senior Beef and Cattle Market Research Analyst for Rabobank. He comments on the explosive cattle market trends we have seen in the first half of the year - why it is happening, the shrinking herds in Canada and U.S., and what producers can expect this Fall. If you liked this feature, be sure to check out the Podcast Farm on Rural Roots Canada.com.

With harvest in the early stages of starting in different parts of the prairies, combine maintenance is at the top of mind for many producers. In this AgTech feature, we take a look at a platform that is all the talk lately around optimizing combines. Combine Settings.com is a place where producers can connect with each and share the settings they use with their combine to get the best performance out of their machine and make sure they are leaving as little money on the ground. For more on this story, go to Rural Roots Canada.com.

2023 Canadian Beef Industry Conference Chair Dr. Elizabeth Homerosky sits down with RRC's Craig Lester to talk about the upcoming conference and why this is a can't miss event for producers and industry stakeholders a like. From the keynote speakers, bull fighters, producer boot camp, stock dog showcase and all the networking that goes along with the an event like this, Homerosky says it is a can't miss. For more information and to register go to Rural Roots Canada.com.

A jam-packed Canadian Beef Industry Conference is being held in Calgary August 14-17. Chair Dr. Elizabeth Homerosky talks about the keynote speakers, bull-fighting entertainment, producer boot camp and stock dog showcase, the incredible networking opportunity and much more that is taking place during the event. For more on this story go to Rural Roots Canada.com.

It has been a very, very busy July. Between the International Federation of Agriculture Journalist Congress happening in Olds, Alberta, Alltech ONE's world tour coming to Calgary, the Calgary Stampede and Ag in Motion in Saskatoon and of course, the ongoing drought conditions farmers have been dealing with there has been no shortage of things to talk about conversations to be had and stories to be told. We are trying something new a podcast designed to cover all of the conversations we are having and stories we are telling across our platforms. This first episode is a bit of a catch-up, we are going back to the great Alltech ONE conference that took place in Calgary in early July.  There are two conversations, in particular, we wanted to share with you. One is a conversation our friend Chuck Zimmerman from AgWired had with Alltech President and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons where they discussed about the Alltech ONE tour and issues facing farmers. The second is with Dr. Patrick Ward, Applications Manager for Euro

Producers do not have to compromise performance and profitability for sustainability. We sat down with Alltech's Dr. Patrick Ward during the Alltech ONE conference in Calgary on how farmers can balance all three. For the full story, go to Rural Roots Canada, where we Amplify Canadian Agriculture.

The world's first precision AI spraying drone.  We talk to the Founder and CEO of Precision AI about how this seemingly futuristic tech can help farmers in the here and now. To read more about the technology, go to ruralrootscanada.com.

The 2023 Calgary Stampede Vintage Tractor Pull kicked off the 10-day event in grand style last week. We talk to tractor-pulling veterans Jill Moore and David Wylie about the competition this year and what they thought about their pulls. More on this story can be found at Rural Roots Canada.com. If you liked this feature be sure to check out the Podcast Farm at Rural Roots Canada.com.

Agriculture journalists and communicators from around the world will be converging on Olds, Alberta at the end of June for the annual International Federation of Agriculture Journalists World Congress. Find out all the details from event organizers at Rural Roots Canada.com.

A new grant from the Credit Unions in Alberta aims to empower women in agriculture with starting up or growing their businesses. Alberta Central on behalf of the 13 Credit Unions and their nearly 200 branches across the province has launched the Women in Ag grant. Read the full article at ruralrootscanada.com.