Rural Roots Canada

Warmer weather’s on the way. But….not much snow. Every day forward is a day closer to when we break out of the Arctic air mass that has kept the prairies cold since the beginning of February. And the wait is getting shorter. By the end of this week, each of the three prairie provinces will see temperatures climb above the melting point. And, the further west you are, the sooner the warm air arrive...

A new documentary delves into the complex debate surrounding livestock production and the potential impact of a world without cows. The film examines the various sides of the conversation, aiming to spark dialogue about the future of animal agriculture. Stuart McGregor, Vice President Commercial Business of Alltech Canada, acknowledges that there’s no simple answer to the question. "The issue is n...

In the critical moments of a medical emergency, the ability to act quickly can make all the difference between life and death. Yet, when faced with a situation requiring the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), many people hesitate because they don’t know how to use the device or when to deploy it. Kim Ruether knows all too well the importance of this knowledge after the tragic loss o...

Getting a first-hand look at the daily lives of farmers is an excellent way to help the public understand where their food comes from. Last year, during my travels across the U.K. and Europe, I had the chance to spend time with Pete and Paula Hynes, dairy farmers in Cork, Ireland. Not only are they experts in their field, but they also excel at sharing their experiences through mainstream media an...

What can we learn from the world’s oldest farming market traditions? The executive director of Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia and recent Nuffield Scholar Justin Cantafio, travelled across Mexico, Europe, and Turkey to find the answer. His biggest takeaway? Local food systems aren’t just about food, they’re about culture, community, and accessibility. “I purposely sought out regions of the world o...

Jeff Frost, a farmer from the Olds area, is nearing the end of his first year as the Region 8 director on the Alberta Canola board. Frost joined the board in January of 2024 following the organization’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and says the experience has been both eye-opening and rewarding.

A change in the weather pattern will bring a lot more moisture into western North America over the next seven to ten days. Unfortunately for Canadian prairie farmers and ranchers, the vast majority of that wet weather is expected to occur south of the border. from the northwestern US straight across to the northeastern US, bypassing us to the south. It doesn’t mean we won’t get any snow at all, bu...

Ashley Nicholls from Reach Agricultural Strategies will lead a compelling workshop at the 2025 Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (AWC). The workshop will focus on Low-Stress People Handling and the importance of effective communication on the farm.

Steve Larocque, a progressive farmer from Three Hills, Alberta, is passionate about finding smarter solutions to tackle one of agriculture's biggest challenges: herbicide-resistant weeds. For Larocque, the future lies in combining cultural practices with advanced technologies to create a more sustainable and economically viable approach to weed control.

It was an issue many thought had been settled, but the debate over open-pit mining in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has been reignited. In 2020, public outcry forced the province to put a moratorium on nearly all new coal exploration and development in the Eastern Slopes. However, Alberta's energy minister, Brian Jean, lifted the moratorium last month to help reduce regulatory confusion around coal min...

Alberta Canola growers have voted to increase the service charge from a dollar to a dollar-75. This is the first increase to the service charge, which helps fund research, grower extension and public engagement amongst other programs, to happen since 2003.

The latest findings from the Alltech 2024 Canadian Harvest Analysis reveal a mixed outlook for mycotoxin contamination in silage and grains across the country. While overall mycotoxin levels are down compared to previous years, regional variability remains a key concern, particularly for corn silage. Stuart McGregor, Vice President of Commercial Business for Alltech Canada, emphasized the importan...

Welcome, La Nina La Nina is here, and cold weather will continue across the prairies this week, and there will be snow.   The snowfall pattern will be similar to what we've had all season. Areas that have had snow will get more.  And, dry areas, such as southern Alberta, will remain starved for moisture, as snow amounts over the next seven days will total only 10 cm at most. Here's an update on wh...

Canadian ag groups are weighing in on the tariff crisis. Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threat, slapping Canada with a 25% tariff on just about all goods effective Tuesday, February 4. Canada retaliated with 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of American goods.

With the threat of U.S. tariffs hanging over Canada like the sword of Damocles, Alberta’s commodity groups including Alberta Canola are coordinating efforts to advocate against, and prepare for, tariffs. Roger Chevraux, Alberta Canola Region 11 director, says they’re working behind the scenes, contacting U.S. governors, senators, and representatives to emphasize the importance of the two countries...

Warm and dry across the agricultural south.....then the pattern flips! For some, snow and cold is on the way. And by next weekend...yikes!

Farmers and ranchers know it's hard enough to get a good snowpack in southern Alberta. With our frequent chinooks, keepng what little snow we get on the ground is even harder. And the January thaw doesn't help. The "January thaw", or the bonspiel thaw, is a weather phenomenon that happens in mid to late January as mild Pacific air stretches across North America. It’s like nature hits the pause but...

Karsten Grabler from Cherhill, Alberta and Garret Rice from Carbon, Alberta have been named the 2025 recipients of the Seed Smart Scholarship, a prestigious award from the Alberta Seed Processors (ASP) recognizing academic excellence and leadership in agriculture. Grabler, a student in the Animal Science Technology program majoring in Beef at Lakeland College in Vermilion, expressed his gratitude...

Warmer weather returns to Alberta and Saskatchewan!  But in Manitoba, it's a long wait. Bitterly cold weather to start the day, with temperatures in the -30s and wind chills in the -40s east of Highway 2 and south of Edmonton. Elsewhere, morning lows will be near or in the -20s. However, this is the day of change for Alberta, as mild Pacific air begins to push in during the day. IF that warmer air...

Digital technology, community, and craft beer have come together to brew a unique collaboration. Bayer Crop Science has named Irvin and Braden Eberle of Montmartre, Saskatchewan, as the winners of its FieldBrew contest, granting them the opportunity to craft a one-of-a-kind craft beer, FieldBrew, a play on its FieldView digital agriculture platform. In partnership with Origin Brewing & Malting...

Over the last twenty years or so, the most common question I have received is, "What weather app do you recommend?" And, over the last twenty years or so, my answer has been none of them. Most weather apps provide model output, computer generated forecasts unvetted by human meteorologists and many of us in the business call them crap apps. However, for farmers and ranchers, I’ve found a few apps t...

It'll be mild until the weekend, then.....Yikes! As mentioned in last Thursday's midweek update, La Nina has arrived.  It was officially declared on January 9th, and is expected to persist for a few weeks, maybe into April.  The expectation is for La Nina to remain weak.    Prairie weather characteristics of La Nina events include colder than average weather, with above average snowfall.  It's a w...

Medicine Hat College is making strides in agricultural education, with new, innovative programs designed to meet the needs of seasoned producers and the next generation of agribusiness professionals.

The Senate's Agriculture Committee has released its highly anticipated Critical Ground report on the state of soil health in Canada. We chat with one of the senators involved in the study coming up on Rural Roots Canada, where we amplify Canadian Agriculture. The Canadian Senate has released its much-awaited Critical Ground report looking at the state of soil health in Canada. Paula Simons, an ind...

After a cold snowy week across southern Alberta, we get a chinook this week.   Yes, it will be windy in all the usual places, especially between Lethbridge and Crowsnest Pass,  and it will be warmer.  There may be occasions this week, particularly Wednesday and maybe Thursday, that the temperature will climb close to ten degrees, but overall this should be an event with single digit highs in most...