New Program Helps Farmers With Grain Drying

Feb 11, 2020

A new grant program has been established to help farmers upgrade their grain handling systems.

The Efficient Grain Dryer Program allows applicants to choose equipment that is compatible for the size and volume of their farm operation and to improve energy efficiency.

"Last harvest was one of the toughest for Alberta farmers. Poor weather, trade irritants, rail strikes and a carbon tax have all hurt farmers through no fault of their own," Provincial Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen says. "This new program will help farmers remain competitive and keep producing the best high-quality food in the world."

The program is retroactive to April 1, 2018 to accommodate almost 100 applicants who've been waiting since then as well as those who weren't aware of the program previously and purchased eligible equipment in the last two years.

The Efficient Grain Dryer Program is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership with $2 million available.

Based on the final Alberta Crop Report dated Dec. 3, 2019 about 10 per cent of crops across Alberta were left in the fields to be harvested in spring 2020.

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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.