Join the Mackenzie Applied Research Association on Wednesday, April 3rd at the La Crete Heritage Centre from 9 AM – 1 PM (lunch provided).

Presentations will include:

• Drew Lerner, president and senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather, Inc
• AGM Meeting
• MARAs 2023 Year + Plans for 2024
• Mackenzie County update from Ag Fieldman Landon Driedger
• AFSC update from Marion Krahn

Farm 4.0: The Future of Agriculture presented by the Bachelor of Agriculture Technology Students will be held at the Vermillion Regional Centre in Vermillion, Alberta. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Canadian Cattlemen and the CCIA are proud to offer a webinar on livestock tag retention. The webinar will consist of a panel discussion with industry experts, moderated by Dianne Finstead. The webinar will be followed by a live Q&A section.

A promo code for a 20% discount on the CCIA Webstore will be offered to those who attend the webinar. See Terms and Conditions of the promotion here: https://retentionmatters.ca/ccm_promotion_terms/

Join the Lakeland Agricultural Research Association on April 9, 2024 at the Flat Lake Hall for an in-depth discussion on livestock and forage management in dry and/or drought conditions.

You’ll hear from:

• Grant Lastiwka, forage and grazing specialist, on Livestock and Pasture Management for Drought Conditions
• Melissa Orr’Langner, Government of Alberta on Getting Serious About Your On Farm Water Supplies

Speaker: Ken Fry

Topic: Recognizing and supporting beneficial insects in horticulture

In this session, we will explore the world of beneficial insects and how we can support their actions to benefit our horticulture operations. These beneficial insects function in pollination, pest management, and nutrient cycling.  We will learn who is out in the environment, what they do, and how we can preserve, conserve, and even augment their populations os they can continue to benefit us and our plants and soil.

Get up to date information on what to do when emergencies happen.

• Emergency preparedness and key areas
• Develop or update your Emergency Action Plans
• Prevention techniques
• County Guidelines
• Contact Resources

Presenters

Rachel Lotsberg – Emergency Management Officer

Larry Brolly – Manning Fire Department Chief

This info session is in collaboration with the Medicine River Watershed Society, ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services), and RALP (Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program).

The Medicine River Watershed Society will be providing a 2023 Update on their Water Quality Sampling.

The info session with ALUS and RALP will be brief and to-the-point, with lots of time for your questions and discussions. You’ll leave with a good understanding of how ALUS and RALP work, and how you can apply for funding.

As a teaser, both ALUS and RALP can provide you funding for things you do on your farm or ranch that benefit the natural environment.

Light dinner will be provided.

Join the Alberta Surface Rights Federation for a day of networking, discussions, and updates on surface rights issues in Alberta. This in-person event will be held at the Days Inn and Conference Centre by Wyndham Camrose Norsemen. Connect with fellow landowners, industry professions, and experts in the field.

Don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard and stay informed on important matters affecting surface rights in Alberta.

Calling all farmers, industry pioneers, and organic enthusiasts! Get ready to cultivate success at the Annual La Crete Organic Farming Conference & Tradeshow, hosted in partnership with the Mackenzie Applied Research Association.

How will you handle drought conditions on your farm?

Learn how drought may affect our region in the coming years, and how you can be prepared!

Expert presentations include:

1.) Riparian Areas: Opportunities for your Operation

• Lisa Card, ALUS
• Kristina Boehler, Cows & Fish

2.) State of Drought in the Athabasca Watershed

• Athabasca Watershed Council

3.) Strategic Pasture Management in Drought & Recovery

• Grant Lastiwka, Union Forage

4.) Nutrient & Disease Management under Drought Stress

• Sheri Strydhorst, Sheri’s Ag Consulting Inc

Cancelled

What are the fundamentals of food production costs and their impact on both farmers and consumers? Join us for an insightful webinar delving into the cost of production for the food we enjoy at our tables. Producers face unique challenges for each type of commodity they grow or raise. We’ll explore the variability in production costs for beef, pork, and bison, as well as grains and oilseeds. Discover what truly goes into running a farm operation in Canada and the factors influencing its financial sustainability.

Raw foods or foods that are minimally processed, like beef and flour, often have a higher proportion of farm-related costs compared to those involving multiple processing stages, such as beer and bread. The larger portion of total cost comes from farm-level activities. Through a straightforward scorecard analysis, we’ll compare variable costs impacting farm operations, including land prices, fuel, labour, inputs (e.g., seeds, crop protection, antibiotics), and weather conditions. The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary also tackles important questions about farm ownership. Since 2000, farm debt in Canada has nearly doubled. This begs the question: Is the financial sustainability of Canadian farms at stake?

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into agricultural management, the challenges faced by today’s farmers and the realities of agriculture in our country.

Speakers:

• Mark Juhasz, PhD, Principal and Founder, Harvest Insights
• Darla Stepanick, CMA, CPA MBA, Association Dean, Lakeland College School of Agriculture Science

Cancelled

Are you looking to expand your business internationally?

Join Edmonton Global, the Government of Alberta, and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce for Trade Talks.

By attending this event, you’ll have the opportunity to network with other businesses and organizations in the local trade community and learn about trade funding and support resources that can help accelerate your company’s export journey.

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2024 season, including our training sessions for our host farms!

Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event.

This segment will explore farm flavours, and how to capitalize on the growing food trends to define your farm or business. •New*

Workshop topics include: on-farm water management resources, healthy ripararian areas, beavers on the landscape, trout in local creeks and funding programs available for water conservation projects. Lunch is provided.

Agenda:

• Drought Management for the Farm and Ranch – Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
• Riparian Area Management for Drought – Cows & Fish
• Beavers – A Drought Management Tool – Cows & Fish
• Alberta’s Native Fishes – Dogpound Creek Edition – Trout Unlimited Canada
• A Collective Effort for a Healthy Dogpound Creek – Alberta Conservation Association
• Farm and Ranch Funding Programs – Mountain View County/ALUS

Optional: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Nearby Site Tour of a Riparian Management Project on Dogpound Creek

Registration deadline is April 19, 2024

Join Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab and the ALUS Team at Red Deer County, to learn more about the watering systems producers are using for grazing success.

Get ideas, tips and tricks for systems using different types of water sources and learn more about how to extend grazing days with winter water systems. Funding sources will also be covered to help you cover the costs with your water projects this year.

Join Keep it Clean Canada for an overview of why crop protection products registered in Canada may cause marketing concerns for export markets, and how the Canadian grain industry is working together to mitigate these risks.

The webinar will also provide an overview of the 2024 Keep it Clean Product Advisory, covering the product and crop combinations that may cause market risks for cereals and pulses.

The presentation will wrap up with a discussion covering the importance of best practices for pesticide application throughout the growing season.

Dr. Ryan Brook is a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan. He was raised on a mixed farm east of Winnipeg. His research program is focused on the wildlife-agriculture interface and includes elk, deer, moose, and invasive wild pigs. He also has projects in the arctic and in Sri Lanka. He did his PhD work in southwestern Manitoba on elk-agriculture conflicts and risks associated with the spread of bovine tuberculosis between elk and cattle.

Dr. Ryan’s presentation will look at the biology of elk and the many different ways they can cause problems on farms and ranches, including grazing on livestock pasture, damage to hay bales and standing crops and fences, as well as disease transmission risks.

He will talk about his research tracking elk with GPS satellite collars, documenting farmer/rancher knowledge, and developing on-farm risk models to understand how best to prevent and control elk (and deer) issues.

Ryan advocates for a ‘tool box approach’ – having a tool box full of good options to allow each producer to manage their own operation in a way that uses the tools most suitable for their particular situation and avoiding options that risk actually making the problem worse.

Science results matched with the deep knowledge of the landowners together can help to best focus spending any funding sources where they are most needed on the hotspots of risk.

In this information packed afternoon, you will learn how to:

• Collect soil samples, interpret results and improve soils to increase yield
• Recognize defects, deficiencies, and disorders in plants
• Understand soil bourne problems pests and diseases

In this workshop, we will show you how to do a soil texture test to see what it’s made of! As your soil needs to be DRY to do this test, please collect your samples a few days prior to the workshop. If you would like to participate in a hands-on soil texture test please bring along:

• A 1L or similar sized glass jar with a LID (pickle/sauce jars work great)
• Soil: take a sample from the area that you would like to test, let soil dry completely, and shake through a colander to remove any large pieces, rocks, and organic matter
• Fill your jar half-way with soil to bring.

Book now as space is limited.

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2024 season, including our training sessions for our host farms!

Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event.

This new workshop was developed to consider new engagement opportunities for children 4-13. Bring your questions and share your successes in how you have provided unique experiences for the younger set. *New*

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2024 season, including our training sessions for our host farms!

Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event.

In-house expert Nicola Doherty will walk you through opportunities to grow your exposure both within the Open Farm Days platform and outside of it. Don’t miss this opportunity to up your game of attracting attention.

Join Green Acreages at this free workshop where you will learn about stewardship and how to:

• Evaluate your acreage
• Better manage and improve your property
• Map your property assets and plan your activities
• Access funding to help with a stewardship project and the projects that qualify
• And more

Presented by Land Stewardship Centre and hosted by Red Deer County.

Join the Peace Country Beef & Forage Association for a pasture calving farm tour of a Peace Region Living Labs Core Producer Site in Baytree, Alberta, to learn about Holistic Management Practices, before travelling to the Gordondale Hall for an afternoon with Kelly Sidoryk, discussing Farm Succession Planning & Farm Business Management.

Lunch is provided.

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2024 season, including our training sessions for our host farms!

Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event.

Working with your community to help promote and market your event and business! This session includes different ways you can engage your community supporters and neighbours to promote your Open Farm Days event.