Rural Roots Canada

Rural Roots Canada Meteorologist David Spence took a look back at the different conditions and how they impacted the farms and ranches throughout central Alberta.

The Centre for Innovation at Medicine Hat College, which is now in its second year, is expanding into agricultural research. Chelsey Ehresman, who is the manager of C-4-I, says it's all possible due to some funding they received this year.

AgSafe Alberta has developed some new educational tools around respirators to make sure farmers can breathe easier in the future. Jody Wacowich is the Executive Director of AgSafe Alberta. She says they wanted to grow awareness about respiratory protective equipment and emphasize the longer-term health impacts on the farm. For the full story go to ruralrootscanada.com.

Nearly 80 young women from across southern Alberta gathered at Lethbridge Polytechnic for Harvesting Ambitions: Young Women in Agriculture, a hands-on career exploration event showcasing the diverse opportunities in agriculture. The full-day program, organized by Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute, featured interactive workshops and panel discussions with women leaders in the industry. The stud...

In this Prairie Weather this Week report, RRC Meteorologist David Spence looks at whether the prairies will see a white Christmas.

Nuffield Canada has been awarding life-changing scholarships to people in agriculture, food and farming for decades. Chair Steve Larocque says the organization sends agribusiness professionals and farmers around the world to look at new ideas, innovations, policies, and practices.

Just north of Craigmyle, Alberta, Flag Hill Ranch is redefining farm-to-table. Owned by Justine Berry and her family, the ranch specializes in grass-finished beef, a decision driven by their commitment to sustainability and regenerative farming practices. "We raise right from birth through until butcher," says Berry. "We branched into the direct marketing of our beef and launched our grass-finishe...

A researcher at Lethbridge Polytechnic is taking aim at bacterial threats in poultry farming. Dr. Sophie Kernéis, microbial research lead at the school, has received an $80,000 grant from the Egg Farmers of Canada to explore phytobiotics, plant-based compounds with antibiotic properties. The goal? To fight Avian Pathogenic E. Coli or APEC. APEC is one of the leading bacterial causes of mortality a...

The Crossroads Crop Conference, a premier event for Western Canada’s agricultural community, returns January 28-29, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel West Edmonton. Organized by Alberta Canola, Alberta Grains, and Alberta Pulse Growers, the event aims to address pressing challenges and opportunities in farming with the theme Future Proof Your Farm.

Snow, rain, freezing rain, arctic air, and....chinooks! There will be impacts on travel, as we all run around getting ready for the holidays.

In this Prairie Weather this Week report: from +5 to -30 Alberta stays rather warm as frigid air invades Saskatchewan and Manitoba this week.

The Agri-Food Innovation Expo, a unique collaboration between Lethbridge & District Exhibition and Westerner Park in Red Deer, marked a successful second year with its first event hosted in Lethbridge. With over 20 exhibitors and 200 attendees—an increase from its inaugural year in Red Deer—the expo continues to establish itself as a key event in Canada’s agrifood industry. To read more go to rura...

Students studying agriculture at the post-secondary level are stepping into a world of opportunities, supported by strong industry partnerships and a growing demand for people to work in the industry that feeds the world. Byrne Cook, Chair of the School of Agriculture at Lethbridge Polytechnic, highlighted the abundance of career options available to students as they transition from education to t...

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canada has the agriculture industry on edge. "We are certainly nervous about tariffs," says Greg Sears, Director of Region 6 for Alberta Grains, and a farmer in the Peace Region. "Approximately 7% of Alberta's wheat and 11% of Alberta's barley goes into the States. Certainly, there'll be a direct impact on those two crops...

Farming can be isolating, and mental health challenges can often go unnoticed, but Do More Ag is working to change that with its Ag Talk platform. The 24/7 online peer support platform allows farmers to connect with others facing similar struggles, helping to plant the seeds of mental wellness. Leslie Kelly, with Do More Ag, emphasizes the importance of small, daily actions for improving mental we...

Winter is here, and there is protective snow on the ground across the prairies. While astronomical winter doesn't begin until December 21st, meteorologists consider December 1 as the real first day of winter, based on the weather.  It's called Meteorological Winter, and it runs from Dec 1 to the end of February. For the prairies, though, winter weather arrived even earlier this year. November was...

CocoRahs is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hale, and Snow Network. In operation since 1997, it expanded to Canada in 2012, and now there are 20,000 participants across the country.

AgSafe Alberta has launched the fourth and final stage of its Farmers Care program. In Level Four, the focus is on dealing with emergencies. Farmers and ranchers will be introduced to emergency action plans and other considerations to help improve farm safety during an emergency.

The long wait is over. There is snow on the ground across the southern prairies. A storm system orginating late last week with an Idaho low, spread snow across the Canadian prairies, and the northern US plains. The snow came at a time where it was badly needed. This soil moisture map from Windy.com shows the soil moisture deficit from the Rockies to Brandon, and from beyond the US border to Prince...

Ratting on Rats. The Alberta Invasive Species Council is stepping up efforts to make sure the province remains rat free Alberta is the largest rat-free jurisdiction in the world a status it has enjoyed for over 70... something everyone would like to continue. Paige Kuczmarski is an Invasive Species Technician with the Alberta Invasive Species Council. Kuczmarski says rats are notorious carriers of...

A report by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) finds Canadians are becoming increasingly divided in their perception of the national food system. The CCFI 2024 Public Trust Research finds that 31% of Canadians believe the food system is on the right track, representing a three-point drop from last year. Meanwhile, 29% believe the system is moving in the wrong direction. This marks the f...

From rocks to docks, steel boats to plastic floats, zebra and quagga muscles pose a threat to Alberta's waterways and can cause considerable damage, ecologically and financially. The problem with these invasive muscles is threefold. One, their ability to reproduce is astounding, says Paige Kuczmarski with the Alberta Invasive Species Council. One female muscle can produce up to a million eggs. Two...

Alberta-based mental health organization AgKnow will be relaunching its free mental health support sessions for farmers, farm families, farm employees, and veterinarians across the province. Recent funding from the Alberta Treasury Branch has allowed AgKnow to resume the free sessions, which had been paused as it awaited provincial grant funding. AgKnow Director Linda Hunt explains why these free...

Snow!  The long spell of endless days of dry weather come to an end across much of the agricultural prairies this week, as a series of systems will bring rain and snow to the parched plain.   And. not a moment too soon, as, according to the latest Canadian Drought Monitor,  drought or dry conditions have returned to parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, due to a lack of rainfall, higher than average...

New research from the University of Guelph is revealing how different grazing strategies can transform pasture productivity and livestock health. Kayleigh DeCoste is a master’s student in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph. Her master's research is looking at the effects of different grazing strategies on pasture performance and cow-calf performance on Ontario pastures...