Help Comes For Hog Producers And Beekeepers

May 12, 2020

The Alberta government is providing ,support for beekeepers in the province.

Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen says they plan to import bees from the U.S. and other countries to build up hives.

"We are looking at 30 per cent support for hives from neighbouring provinces, in Saskatchewan and B.C., to be able tohelp the beekeepers here in the province of Alberta be able to build up their hives, especially in northern Alberta there was severe over-wintering losses," he says.

The Government will also increase the interim payment under Agristability from 50 per cent to 75 per cent for the hog sector putting up to $25 million in the hands of pork producers immediately.

They're doing the same for the potato industry in the province.

Alberta accounts for 10.4 per cent of Canada’s hog production, or about 2.8 million market hogs per year.

In April, the Potato Growers of Alberta estimated Alberta has $70 to $80 million worth of potatoes in storage, which is higher than one-quarter of the national inventory.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.