Insights and Stories of Jennifer Blair

Oct. 9, 2015 at 9:50 am CDT

Two years after introducing its controversial ‘Better Beef’ program, A&W seems to have few regrets about how the shift to antibiotic- and steroid-free beef played out. “We were the first national chain in North America to do it, and the response has been tremendous,” said Trish Sahlstrom, vice-president of purchasing […]

By Jennifer Blair

Sep. 11, 2015 at 8:45 am CDT

Do you read your grain contracts from front to back? If so, you’re one of the few who do. A University of Manitoba study found only 17 per cent of Canadian farmers read their whole grain contracts — and that’s a mistake, says a grain industry expert. “For every grain […]

By Jennifer Blair

Aug. 6, 2015 at 3:42 pm CDT

In a drought year like this one, when every bushel counts, the last thing a producer wants to do is to leave grain on the ground. But harvest loss — to the tune of up to five bushels an acre — is a costly problem for growers across the Prairies. […]

By Jennifer Blair

Apr. 2, 2015 at 9:21 am CDT

Not very many hands go up when Mark Cutts asks a room full of producers how many of them test their soil every year. “I don’t think the majority is doing soil testing,” said the crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “If a producer is happy with his […]

By Jennifer Blair

Feb. 13, 2015 at 12:09 pm CST

Drones may seem like a fun toy — but on the farm, these fancy fliers mean business. “At the end of the day, you want better information to make better decisions, and that’s what they give you,” said Steve Myshak, owner of Ventus Geospatial in Lethbridge. “That’s the bottom line […]

By Alberta Farmer Staff, Jennifer Blair