The Boy Scouts Are Coming!

If you have been driving through the country side lately you might have seen something strange out in the fields.  You may be seeing many orange and blue tarp tents. No, these are not (as my best friend and I once convinced her then 7 year old sister) boy scouts. They are actually bees! These bees are moved onto crop land (especially hybrid canola in this area) to pollinate the plants. According to the Canadian Honey Council over 80,000 colonies are needed to pollinate all the hybrid canola seeds in Alberta.  They also say that plants that are pollinated with bees have a 3-8 times increased production and this increased production is valued at over 2 billion dollars a year. So as you can see these bees are very profitable to have around. And although the ‘boy scout’ tents may look awkward and out of place on a big, open field, they are actually housing the busiest workers on the place!
info from: http://www.honeycouncil.ca/index.php/honey_industry_overview

Amazing Animal

If you havn't seen this video already you should check it out, this is one talented cow!

Rain Rain Go Away

I know that I promised I would stop complaining about the rain, but I heard something on the news the other day that I want to tell you about. According to the Canadian Wheat Board between 8.25 and 12.5 million acres of wheat alone will not be seeded this year because of the rain. This is an 18% decrease compared to last year! This means that farmers in flooded areas are looking at major losses this year. For rural communities that rely heavily on agriculture for their economy there will be devistation felt all around.

Info from: http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/newsroom/releases/2010/061110.jsp

Have You Thanked A Farmer?

So I meant to post this yesterday but once again my internet was not working, but it is today so her you go: Friday the 10^th was a special day, it was farmers day!!! This is a day set apart to thank farmers for all the amazing work that they do.

Without farmers, not only would we be hungry with no food to eat, but also we would be naked, and homeless because both the construction and textile industries use many products with agricultural backgrounds. So if you get the chance today make sure you thank a farmer for all they do to provide you with the life that you enjoy!

Prince Charles and Sustainable Agriculture

picture from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/05/prince-charles-sustainable-agriculture-farming

Recently I have heard a lot about Prince Charles and his keynote address on sustainable agriculture. Although I knew a bit about sustainable agriculture from some of my classes I did a little research on exactly what it is. It turns out I am not the only one confused, everywhere I looked had a slightly different definition and most even said that it was a hard to find. By looking at a lot of definitions I have concluded that sustainable agriculture is both a philosophy and an agricultural system. It is the practice of farming with the best interest of both the environment and consumers. Sustainable agriculture should not be confused with organic or natural farming practices, although they share a lot of the same ideals there are slight variations. Sustainable farming still allows the use of fertilizers and pesticides, although it reduces the use of these to ensure that there is still adequate land and resources to feed the worlds growing population in the future.

In his address prince Charles suggested that sustainable farming and agricultural processes were the only way to feed the worlds growing populations. He made a very important point when he said that the key to sustainable is small local farmers using sustainable practices.

I see this very much in my area because it is mostly small farmers. When running a smaller family farm farmers have to be very conscious of their land. If farmers were to mistreat their land by overworking it, using to many chemicals, or over watering it they would not be able to farm on it for very long. In this way Price Charles is correct assuming that most small farmers are really stewards of the land. They ensure proper practices are used so that they can continue to farm and feed the public in the future

True North Strong and Free

Last year around this time I was just arriving home from a Citizenship seminar in Ottawa Ontario. I had been sent on this trip as a representative for Alberta 4-H and loved every minute of it! I not only got the opportunity to meet new friends and see different part of the country but also left with a strong sense of pride in being Canadian. Through touring parliament, the war museum, the senate and the swearing in ceremony for new Canadians I grew to appreciate even more the opportunities that I have as a Canadian citizen.

Since this trip I have been patiently waiting for my turn to exercise my civic duty and vote.  Today I got that chance! At 19 it is my first time to vote in an election and I was extremely proud to mark that X. I am a true believer in the fact that you can’t complain about politics unless you take the opportunity to vote and voice your opinion. I am now not so patiently waiting by the TV with my whole family gathered around waiting on the election results! I am thankful for my Canadian agricultural roots and am extremly proud to be a Canadian Citizen and have the opportunity to exercise my write to vote.