Stocking stuffers for commercial producers

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry publications could be a perfect gift for that special someone interested in commercial production.

 

 

 

A comprehensive resource and reference tool for new and experienced vegetable growers at all scales of commercial production. The 300 pages of full colour images and text give you the best information on key topics like planning for vegetable production, seeding/transplanting to harvesting and storage, getting fertility and irrigation right, and business issues, risks, management and marketing. The book also contains detailed chapters on individual vegetable crops covering production and pest information.

 

Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies – $20 plus GST – Agdex 250/13-1

 

 

A comprehensive guide to Saskatoon berry production. Topics include biology of the plant, propagation, cultivars, orchard establishment, cultural practices, pruning techniques, plant health, harvest and post-harvest management as well as basic marketing. Full-colour images, line drawings, tables and charts enhance the information in the text. Saskatoon berry experts from across the prairies collaborated on the manual to create a valuable reference for anyone growing Saskatoon berries. In addition, a detailed appendix provides supplementary resource material to help answer any questions growers may have.

 

Saskatoon Berry Production Manual – $15 plus GST – Agdex 238/20-2

 

 

For experienced beekeepers and those just considering beekeeping, this book gives the information needed to manage honey bees successfully. Learn about the spring management of bees, winter feeding, honey extraction, honey bee health and marketing beeswax, pollen and honey crops. The provincial apiculturists in Canada’s 4 western provinces packed this publication full of the best possible information on beekeeping in the west.

 

Beekeeping in Western Canada – $25 plus GST – Agdex 616-4

 

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.