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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday September 6, 2022

Sep 6, 2022 | 11:38 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Alberta barley and wheat farmers will vote on whether the two commissions will formally amalgamate to form a single entity.

Barley and wheat farmers who have paid a levy on wheat or barley sales in the past two years, including farmers who have requested refunds, can anticipate.

The Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council, in collaboration with MNP and the two commissions, will hold two plebiscites: one for barley growers, and one for wheat growers. The plebiscites will be open Oct. 3 to Nov. 1.

Alberta Barley chair Tara Sawyer said it’s important for farmers to have their say on the proposed merger.

“We are confident the convenient online format and month-long voting period will provide farmers with increased access to cast their ballots during the busy harvest season,” Sawyer said. “The commissions strongly encourage barley and wheat farmers to participate in the plebiscites which will determine our future.”

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The two commissions have been operating with a joint management structure for five years.

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Three rural community groups are set to receive $5,000 through the Hometown Roots Family Contest in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

One grower in each province won the opportunity to support their community by selecting a hometown organization to receive a $5,000 contribution from Lallemand Plant Care.

Alberta winner Kevin Slemko selected the Hussar Community Hall, Saskatchewan winner Mike Fittkau picked the Cando Cemetery Fund, and Darren Rozdeba, winner in Manitoba, chose the Strathclair Ag Society.

From November 2021 through May 2022, growers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba had the opportunity to enter by either purchasing Lallemand Plant Care inoculants or writing an essay explaining what farming means to them and how they would leverage the funds to support their community.

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Chemistry professor Erika Plettner said pesticides, pathogens, and the effects of climate change are putting bees and their role as pollinators of the world’s food crops in peril.

Plettner and her team of researchers from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland are working towards mitigating the varroa mite.

The S.F.U team is testing a chemical compound that appears to kill the mites and hopes it could one day be widely available as a treatment for infested hives.

Plettner said the mites puncture the bees’ exoskeleton, creating a wound that doesn’t close leaving the bees susceptible to disease and weakens the immune systems, which can cause entire hives to collapse over the winter months.

The researchers don’t yet understand exactly how the compound works but Plettnew said it looks promising as a potential treatment alongside five or six currently available.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW