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From improved grazing in Birch Hills to precision mapping in Cardston and fertility adjustments in Camrose and Provost, the stories highlight how targeted support is helping producers adopt sustainable practices that work.

Wind erosion is a constant challenge for farmers in southern Alberta, especially after potato harvest. Grant Vossebelt, agronomist and farm manager at Van Giessen Growers, turned to OFCAF to trial cover cropping as a sustainable solution. With financial support reducing the risk, he found success—and now plans to make it a permanent part of their operation. How is this simple practice protecting valuable topsoil?

RDAR has invested $6.7 million in pork projects through March of 2024. Projects include a focus on nutrition, health, and using genomic selection to maximize the value of commercial pigs.

RDAR talks to 3rd generation Peace River region farmer Claude Lavoie about his experience with RDAR's Producer Research and Evaluation Program (PREP).

“RDAR on the Road is one of the key ways we can gain insight from producers and understand what our College needs to do to best tailor our approach to meet regional needs” says Morgan Blair, Dean School of Business & Continuing Studies; Dean, School of Trades & Technology, Medicine Hat College.

We had the opportunity to connect with cow-calf operation owner Kirk Sorensen, to talk about his experience with OFCAF and how this program may be able to help other producers transition into new farming ideas.

RDAR is delighted to congratulate Dr. Natalie Diether, Research Program Officer, for receiving the 2023 University of Alberta Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES) Graduate Student Ph.D. Thesis Award. This prestigious honour is given in recognition of Natalie’s dissertation on microbes, metabolites and gut health, describes her work to understand the relationship between dietary interventions and post-weaning diarrhea in pigs. 

When it comes to raising livestock, it’s no surprise that access to water is an essential part of their health and wellbeing. And while watering livestock might seem as simple as providing access to a dug-out, slough, or stream, there is new technology available that provides a low-cost, clean alternative to conventional watering methods, eliminating the health risks that are associated with traditional watering methods.

March 8

Lately avian influenza (AI) has been in the media on a more regular basis. AI is a highly contagious viral disease that affects both wild and domestic birds, and less commonly other mammals, caused by a Type A influenza virus. The poultry industry in Alberta is currently challenged by a avian influenza (AI) outbreak affecting wild birds, commercial poultry operations, and small flocks.