The Lasser family’s ranch is near Chetwynd, in northeastern B.C.

Raising cattle at the gateway to Peace Country

Charlie Lasser has been farming since the 1940s, but he’s still trying new things to improve his feeding program and marketing strategy

Charlie Lasser has been farming since he was 15, and he’s learned a few things over the decades. Today he ranches in Chetwynd, in the Peace region of B.C., but he started out in Powell River, on the coast, where his parents had a small acreage and a few milk cows. In 1940, the family […] Read more

Regenerative grazing is designed to mimic the symbiotic relationships in nature.

The impact of herbivores

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

Grasslands need the herbivore just like the herbivore needs the grasslands. It is a symbiotic relationship that has lasted thousands of years without us. Nature already had this figured out long before humans came into the picture and we need to respect the laws of nature. The problems occur when we try to manipulate nature. […] Read more


Silage corn acres on the Prairies is on the rise.

Warm season crops and cool climates

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

According to Statistics Canada, silage corn acreage was 26 per cent higher in 2015-19 than in 2010-14. Most of this increase occurred in the Prairies. Achieving corn’s potential will depend on whether plant breeders can successfully adapt this warm-season plant to Canada’s cooler climate. Plants contain two kinds of carbohydrates. Non-structural carbohydrates are starches and […] Read more

AAFC’s research station at Morden in southern Manitoba. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Allan Dawson)

COVID-19 threatens federal field research

Prairie cereals' commissions urge AAFC to follow example of universities, private researchers

COVID-19 threatens to sideline Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) field, greenhouse and laboratory research this year, but not if the Prairie wheat and barley commissions that help to fund it with farmer money have a say. AAFC has been sending “mixed messages” about its plans, Pam de Rocquigny, general manager of the Manitoba Wheat and […] Read more


(Ag.calgarystampede.com)

Calgary Stampede cancelled for 2020

Province's limits on gatherings cover all major summer events

Alberta’s confirmation that its restrictions on gatherings include all annual summer events has led organizers of the Calgary Stampede to cancel the event for the first time in 97 years. “As a community celebration, the cancellation of our annual event comes with our community and public health and safety front of mind,” Stampede president Dana […] Read more

Fresh snowfall in Winnipeg’s Fort Rouge area on April 8, 2020. (GFM Staff)

Cold spring weather expected for Prairies

MarketsFarm — Temperatures in the Prairie provinces are expected to be colder than average this spring. “There’s no indication that temperatures will be above normal,” said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather for MarketsFarm in Winnipeg. Low temperatures will likely cause issues for seeding in areas of the Prairies that have received late-spring snowstorms. […] Read more


Universities can adapt to COVID-19, UCVM dean says

As administrators and faculty modify the system, dean calls for renewed public focus on food production and distribution

As COVID-19 pushes universities to change the way they teach, carry out research and conduct clinical work, the dean of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary is confident that they can adapt. The academic system “from coast to coast is very intact,” Dr. Baljit Singh said. “We will continue to develop new technologies. We […] Read more

Beef cattle feeding in Ontario. (DebraLee Wiseberg/iStock/Getty Images)

COVID-19 strains already-battered Ontario beef industry

Limited processing capacity remains financial challenge for province's feedlot sector, despite recent increase in retail demand

Ontario’s beef industry was already in the midst of an economic crisis, but COVID-19 is worsening the financial toll on the province’s cattle feeders. Due to extremely limited processing plant capacity, an uncompetitive market and disruptions to trade and market access, Ontario’s beef industry was losing an average of more than $2 million per week […] Read more


(Photo courtesy A&W Canada)

A+W starts move to all-grass-fed, all-Canadian beef

Suppliers lined up to begin transition this spring

Canadian burger chain A+W’s next move to distinguish its menu in a crowded quick-service market will be a connection to the regenerative ag movement, as it sets itself up with an all-Canadian and all-grass-fed beef supply. The Vancouver-based chain, which includes almost 1,000 restaurants across Canada, announced Monday it’s “making a commitment to exclusively source […] Read more

Three generations of the Stokke family take a break from working cattle for a picture. Randy and Terry are happy to see that the land that has supported their family will continue to do so into the future.

Dealing with a protection order for species at risk

Decades of carefully managing native pastures, documentation and open communication were key to convincing government officials and conservationists that this ranch is supporting wildlife

A landscape like the Palliser Triangle holds its own challenges for raising livestock. These trials are well understood by those who make their living on the arid plains, shaping how they manage the native prairie to sustain their herds and the world around them. But when an emergency protection order (EPO) under the federal Species […] Read more