The winner of our 2023 Canada’s Agriculture Day Photo Contest is Brent Scheibner! His adorable photo garnered 188 votes (likes)!

Altogether, more than 2,500 votes were cast for the 64 photos that were submitted. Once again, thank you to everyone who submitted photos and cast votes!

Canada’s Agriculture Day is a day to recognize the work of all those who help produce the food that Canadians and people around the world eat. Today, on #CdnAgDay, let’s raise a fork to the Canadian food we love and the people who produce it! #ForksUp

All locally submitted photos can be viewed in our 2023 #CdnAgDay photo album on our Facebook page. Click HERE to see them!

Flagstaff County was founded on agriculture. With one million acres of fertile farmland and a temperate climate, the Flagstaff Region produces bountiful yields of wheat, canola, barley, peas, flax, oats and specialty crops with the potential to be processed locally in a low-cost business environment. Within the 638 farms located in the county, an estimated 70% of the region’s total cropland has been deemed to possess high-quality soils. Livestock is an important secondary activity, and the supply chain is well established. The Flagstaff Region offers opportunities in greenhouses, meat snacks, pulse foods, ready meats, agricultural services, craft value-added production, agritourism and farm succession.

An agricultural powerhouse with room to grow – spirit, family, and enterprise opportunity – affordably. Authentically solidified by our roots in the value of hand-waves and hand-shakes. Nine communities across 4,000 sq. km of prairie vista. There’s nothing….so beautiful.

A Land Use Bylaw is a planning document that all municipalities in Alberta are required to adopt. It is the primary ‘instruction manual’ for land use and development in the County. The County’s current Land Use Bylaw was adopted in 2018 and is due for an update.

For a PDF copy of the newly proposed Land Use Bylaw, please click HERE.

Background

We held a Public Open House on November 23, 2022, to discuss the proposed updates to our Land Use Bylaw.

Whether or not you made it out to the Open House, we welcome your feedback. Please read the following for all the information you will need to be involved in this process..

For a PDF of this information, please click HERE.

For a PDF containing the slides from the Open House presentation, please click HERE.

By Nick Dunn

On my travels throughout the County, I have seen an abundant number of established shelterbelts. In fact, I remember driving through the countryside with Brent Hoyland before he retired last year and him pointing out the now established shelterbelts that he planted many years ago. I was touched and I thought to myself, one day I will be in his shoes and be able to look back and have watched these trees grow along with my career.

Have you ever wondered how these got there, or why they’re there? I can assure you they didn’t spread seed and grow in a straight linear position. Previous generations were aware of the benefits that came with having shelterbelts around field boundaries and yard sites. The main reason shelterbelts were planted was to provide wind breaks. We found many additional benefits thereafter.

Although we don’t utilize shelterbelts like we once did, it’s nice to see some younger shelterbelts in place, proving landowners still see the benefits. There is also a lot of restoration happening with the older shelterbelts, as some of the tree species have reached the end of their life.

So, what are the benefits? Physically, they provide shelter from wind, pests, water and wind erosion, and spray drift. This can be the difference between a crop standing in good condition, and one that is lodged. Shelterbelts act as a border shield, which is our best defense from neighbouring pesticide and fertilizer applications, stopping the spread through drift, water, and soil erosion. In the winter, a shelterbelt will increase crop yields 10 to 20 times the height of the trees from the shelterbelt due to snow trapping and reduced evaporation by providing shade. This can be very significant, especially in a drought year, or the years following. Cereal crops benefit the most from having established shelterbelts.

In terms of livestock, there are physical similarities including protection against strong winds and providing shaded areas in extreme temperatures. Shelterbelts are known for reducing noise levels, dust, and odors which will increase animal health and reduce stress, leading to improved livestock productivity. All of these contribute to having a healthier and productive livestock herd.

On the biodiversity side, they provide a site for pollinators to live, which has been shown to increase canola oil yield per acre by 3%. Increased insect and bird life can also affect the insect pest populations and may help prevent pest outbreaks by welcoming their predators. Flagstaff County has implemented a Pollinator Habitat Establishment Program that was launched in 2022, where the County will seed small plots to contribute to pollinator conservation at no cost to the landowner.

Flagstaff County is committed to supporting the establishment of shelterbelts through our Shelterbelt Establishment Program. Available to County landowners, the application can be found on our website. To order online and for more information, go to https://www.flagstaff.ca/county-services/ag-service-board/shelterbelt-establishment-program. You can also fill out an application by coming into the County office. Landowners will benefit through bulk pricing and 50% of costs on non-specialty trees are covered by Flagstaff County. Specialty tree orders will be eligible for bulk pricing but not the cost-share portion. The deadline to apply for the program is January 31, 2023. Orders will be confirmed and placed in early February and the trees will be available for pickup at the county shop in May. As well, the County also has a tree planter to rent out and a mulcher with plastic mulch available for weed control. Take advantage of this program and plant some trees!

Nick Dunn is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: ndunn@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

By Nick Dunn

An Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a voluntary free self-assessment tool for producers who are committed to environmental stewardship. The program began in 2003 with a goal to help producers identify their environmental risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Provinces and territories of Canada have different methods to complete the plan. When the program launched in Alberta, there were binders that would take producers and technicians through the process of developing their own personal EFP that they would take home from their municipalities. In 2019, the Alberta EFP transitioned to an online workbook to help with the costs and efficiency of the program. Most provinces and territories are transitioning to this completion method. There will be a new version launched in early 2023 that will include a renewal process as they expire every 10 years and will need to be updated. This new version will also have a conversion feature to encourage producers to convert their binder workbooks to the online platform. The online experience will also help producers update their EFP on an ongoing basis and allow for the plans to be carried out remotely with or without their technician. If you would like help with your EFP, there are technicians throughout the province such as myself, as well as workshops you can attend for support through this assessment process. 

To date, one in four Western Canadian farmers have completed an EFP. Producers who have an EFP benefit economically, environmentally and socially. Some environmental benefits would be to help protect water, soil, air, and biodiversity. This all goes for being a steward of the land, which comes with intangible social benefits like recognition from neighbours and other agriculture operations. An EFP acts as a pre-requisite for federal (60%), provincial and territorial (40%) grant funding which will be formerly known as the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Alberta (CAP). This funding can be fully reimbursed to be cost-shared with the producer and contains maximums depending on the program. In April 2023, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) will be launched with $500 million in new funds, representing a 25% increase in the cost-shared portion. New focuses with SCAP will include building sector, climate and environment protection, research, science, innovation, market development, trade, resiliency and public trust.

If you have any questions or are thinking about starting or renewing your online EFP, please contact me at 780-390-0342 or Murray Warnke at 780-352-8651. You can also visit their website at www.albertaefp.com to start the application process or to find more information.

Nick Dunn is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: ndunn@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

By Nick Dunn

Producers have been testing their soil for many years. Many of them wonder if it is worth the investment to make annually, or question if they should even do it at all?

The answer is not that simple. For starters, the soil sample data collected is only as accurate as how the field was sampled. There is no value in analyzing data if the sampling method conducted was not proficient. Similarly, there is no value in sampling if you are not going to incorporate the findings into your fertility plan.

The main reason we sample soil is to make informed decisions about changing and adjusting our fertility plans that directly reflect soil conservation and control input costs. Those who sample do so on a regular basis (whether that is annually, bi-annually, or even every 5-10 years) to collect data and build records to monitor the activity of our soil health in relation to our farming practices. With market prices trending upward, I would expect to see more producers exploring their soil’s health, bringing more efficacy to their operation, and protecting their bottom line, especially when the investment is made to incorporate Variable Rate Technology (VRT) with equipment. Along with other historic data, soil sampling is the backbone and will inform you on the 4R Nutrient Management plan (using the right source, right rate, right time and right place). The more data the better; some data is better than none – the choice is yours.

When is the best time to soil sample? It is really six of one, half dozen of the other. Personal preferences may change from year to year. My personal preference is to sample soil in the fall if time permits and here is why. Your soil health changes from year to year but will have very minimal changes from fall to spring due to freezing up. In fact, it may be more reflective as to what can be expected in the spring in terms of soil moisture. For most growers, things slow down once the crops are in the bin. Rather than waiting until the busy season for everyone, including the retailers and laboratories, get ahead of the game. Spring is typically wet and can make it hard to obtain samples in a timely manner. Fall sampling will also give you lots of time for planning over the winter. Often when buying inputs, if you can pre-buy in the fall and winter, you’re eligible for greater discounts and promotions as compared to in the spring or maybe you want to apply fertilizer in the fall after demand and pricing drop. Learning from last year’s experiences with the supply chain, showing early commitment might be the deciding factor of who gets what and how much – hard to do that without a finalized fertility plan.

Whether you sample in the spring or fall, it is important to keep the soil sampling method consistent. Any inconsistencies can affect the data analyzation and deplete the purpose of the initial investment. It’s also important to save your data for reference in the years to come. You paid for it, why throw it out? If you have problematic areas in the future, this will be something for yourself or your agronomist to investigate.

There are many ways to go about soil sampling; you could either hire it out or do it yourself. You could look into retailers and vendors who offer these services and would often provide something they can sell you, such as software, inputs, or agronomy advice. The benefit of doing it yourself is no one knows your land better than you do. This will help in obtaining a proficient sample. There is a great return tied to soil sampling that will also increase the efficacy and revenue in many aspects of your farming operation.

Nick Dunn is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: ndunn@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.