Reading Time: 4 minutes Rodeo always has an element of unpredictability and danger and there’s nowhere that’s more evident that in bull riding. Typically the event kicks off with a sense of nervous anticipation, accompanied by pulse-quickening hard rock like AC/DC, and an excited announcer asking spectators, ‘Are you ready for some bull riding?’ The chute opens and everyone […] Read more
The guardian angels of the rodeo grounds
Retired Calgary firefighter says he's "living the dream"
New 4-H scholarship for post-secondary study
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new scholarship from 4-H Canada and the Coca-Cola Foundation will give 150 students $1,000 towards their post-secondary education. Any 4-H member who is the first in their immediate family to attend a post-secondary institution or a post-graduate program is eligible to apply. The scholarship program will focus on supporting students interested in making a […] Read more
Canada in on TPP pact, to be signed in March
Tokyo | Reuters — Eleven countries aiming to forge a Asia-Pacific trade pact after the U.S. pulled out of an earlier version will sign an agreement in Chile in March, Japan’s economy minister said on Tuesday. Trade officials had been meeting in Tokyo to resolve rifts including Canada’s insistence on protections for its cultural industries […] Read more
Interest-free loans for wildfire damage offered
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ranchers and farmers in Cypress County and the MD of Acadia, which were hit by wildfires in October, can now apply for interest-free rebuilding loans of up to $25,000. Applications under the Hilda Wildfire Support Loan Program will be accepted until March 31. The loans can go to fund working capital, pay expenses and/or help […] Read more
Duane Landals named 2017 Carl Block Award recipient
Reading Time: < 1 minute An Alberta veterinarian has been named the recipient of a national award for outstanding contributions to animal health. Dr. Duane Landals of Onoway has been given the 2017 Carl Block Award by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition. For more than 37 years Landals has “contributed significantly” to veterinary medicine, both in Canada and internationally. He […] Read more
Veterinarians won’t be dealing doggy dope any time soon
Vets are being asked about giving cannabis products to pets — but there’s no research, it’s not legal, and it could be dangerous
Reading Time: 3 minutes High-strung heeler hounding you day and night? Crazy old barn cat climbing up the walls? You might be tempted to put on some Pink Floyd, dim the lights, and give them a little something to mellow them out. All of the attention on the pending legalization of marijuana has pet owners asking their vets about […] Read more
Superclusters: Creating a silicon valley for agriculture and food
Two proposals from Western Canada are vying for backing in Ottawa’s bid to put Canada at the front of the new economy
Reading Time: 6 minutes So what would you rather have — new lucrative ‘plant protein’ markets or a way to turn Big Data into bigger profits? Those are the goals of the two agriculture and agri-food proposals vying for a slice of $950 million of federal cash that Ottawa will spend on ‘superclusters’ — business-led collaborations that aim to […] Read more
The federal government’s supercluster game plan
Reading Time: < 1 minute The federal government hopes its ‘supercluster’ plan will result in “bold and ambitious proposals that will supercharge regional innovation ecosystems.” There are a couple of key elements to the plan. One is that by having big companies team up with numerous smaller ones, the initiatives will provide a sector-wide boost rather than just serving the […] Read more
PHOTOS: People who make a difference and enrich us all
Reading Time: < 1 minute This section of our website is called Heartland but it could be called Snapshots — for it is only able to offer glimpses of a few of the people who enrich the province’s farm community. Some devote their time and energy to raise funds for a good cause in their hometown or communities on the […] Read more
Cover crops ‘essential’ to in-field grazing
Producers need to more closely mimic nature to avoid long-term soil health issues, says USDA conservationist
Reading Time: 2 minutes Got cows? On your cropland? Jay Fuhrer certainly hopes so. The soil health specialist believes cropland and large ruminants are a natural fit. He advocates turning animals out of the barn and onto the land whenever possible. “Soils, plants, and animals evolved together,” he said at the recent Dairy Farmers of Manitoba conference. “And we […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
