These numbers have been drilled into my head. They've been mentioned at every agriculture conference I have attended for the past few years. If you work in the ag industry you'll probably know what I'm referring to when I say these numbers. If not, I'll fill you in. The global population is expected to reach... Continue Reading →
Western Canada’s Other Oil Boom
There's an oil boom taking place across the Canadian Prairies but it's not what you think. A different kind of oil - an oilseed - is blooming throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It's called canola. Canola is a western Canadian success story. The crop was bred at the University of Manitoba in the 1970s. This... Continue Reading →
Swapping Ag Goodies
At last week's Agvocacy 2.0 conference I had the opportunity to learn about agriculture in other areas of Canada and the United States through a swap meet where we exchanged ag items that represented our region with items from other areas. (To read more about my experience at the AgChat Foundation conference click here). I... Continue Reading →
A Gathering of #Agnerds
Normally I wouldn't want to be called a nerd but add two letters - ag - to the front of it and I wear the badge proudly. I was just one of many agnerds that gathered in Kansas City, Missouri (not Kansas) last week to attend Agvocacy 2.0, an AgChat Foundation conference (Twitter hashtag: #acfc12).... Continue Reading →
Celebrating together at the Calgary Stampede
After 100 years agriculture is still the backbone of the Calgary Stampede. Alberta Premier Alison Redford said it best during the Stampede, "This province is based on agriculture. You've gotta go to the barns!" And hundreds of thousands of people did just that. Many Stampede attendees took a walk through the Stampede barns to see... Continue Reading →
AFWA Tour: Ag and Oil
Last week I escaped the concrete jungle of Calgary and explored a new part of the province. I ventured about 3.5 hours northwest to the Drayton Valley area for the two-day Alberta Farm Writers Association (AFWA) annual farm tour. For those of you who are familiar with the province of Alberta, I'm sure the first... Continue Reading →
Bringing the Farm to the City
This past weekend I had the privilege of volunteering at the Calgary Stampede Aggie Days. And a couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post leading up to Aggie Days called Bees, Beets, Beans and More. If you missed it, check it out here. Aggie Days, a free agricultural adventure for all ages, brings... Continue Reading →
Bees, Beets, Beans and More
I wrote the following blog post for the Calgary Stampede Aggie Days which takes place April 21 and 22 at Stampede Park, BMO Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Check out the Calgary Stampede blog. Golden fields of wheat blowing in the breeze and cows lazily grazing in the lush green pasture are the first things that come... Continue Reading →
Learning More Than Just How To Cook
During a family supper, my 12-year-old nephew pipes up and says he's taking a compulsory home ec class in school where he's learning how to cook. I tell him to pay attention in class because that knowledge will come in handy when he's older. After all, us girls like a man who can cook! But on... Continue Reading →
IFAJ ag tour: Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
On Day 2 of our IFAJ ag tour we made our way through Toronto to Niagara Falls stopping at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. If you missed Parts 1 and 2 of my Lake Ontario ag tour click here and here. The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre was established in 2007 and is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food... Continue Reading →
Rural Route Ramblings 