Ratepayers asked to participate in CARA survey
CARA staff are busy preparing reports and planning for the coming growing season. We are also looking for ways to improve the contributions from Mother Nature but so far haven’t come up with anything we can report with confidence. CARA was formed because of the challenging conditions that we experience out here in east central Alberta. A group of local producers wanted to see evaluation of new varieties, agronomic practices, grazing and conservation ideas out in this region as research at Lacombe or the University of Alberta was not applicable to our growing conditions. Since the first projects back in 1979, CARA’s program has evolved to deal with emerging production and knowledge concerns. Information is shared in a variety of ways (reports, website postings, seminars, field days, newsletters, webinars, phone calls, etc.). We’re looking forward to more in-person events during the coming months.
A year like 2021 illustrates the importance of conducting applied research over a number of years to gather meaningful information. CARA is very fortunate to have had on-going support from the Special Areas Board and the MD of Acadia to help maintain basic programming. We have been working with other producer associations to try to secure long term base funding from the provincial government. Core program capacity gives us the confidence to seek funding and collaborate with various partners for projects which are valuable to our local producers. Results Driven Agricultural Research (RDAR), Alberta’s research and extension funding arm, has committed to base funding for 2022 and we are hopeful additional funds will be secured soon for future programming.
Did you know?
Data from our local crop trials contributes to the Alberta Seed Guide
CARA’s Soil Health Lab is the first of its kind in Western Canada and analyzes over 1000 samples each year from research trials and farmer submissions
CARA is evaluating a number of soil amendments to improve soil health and reduce chemical inputs
CARA’s program covers annual crops, perennials, shelter belts, riparian health assessments and much, much more
CARA can send producer feed, seed, soil and water samples for analysis and assist with interpretation of results
A province wide survey measuring the impact of CARA and other producer associations across the province on our local ag industry is now underway. All ratepayers are invited to participate and share your comments. It only takes between 10 and 15 minutes. You may go directly to the following website (copy and paste the following website address into your address field or URL bar): http://tiny.cc/CARAimpact, email cara-dw@telus.net and ask for the link or call us at 403-664-3766. The survey closes March 23rd. All responses are appreciated.
