Reading Time: < 1 minute Whether it was a twisted prank or the work of someone with a grudge, it’s an unusual crime. Sometime on Sept. 11 or 12, a person or persons siphoned off the gas in a tractor in the Willingdon area, and then filled it with canola seed. Other parts of the John Deere 9320 were also […] Read more
Police seeking information about tractor filled with canola seed
Good times gone, farm aid back on the agenda
Alberta farm leaders have been cool to seeking additional aid, but wicked weather and plunging prices may be changing that view
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta farm leaders have stayed on the sidelines while their Prairie counterparts have been lobbying for improved farm support programs — but that may soon change. This month’s snowstorm and early frost coupled with the massive American harvest that has “hammered” the futures markets has dramatically changed the outlook in Alberta, said Greg Porozni, president […] Read more
A chance to see how beef is raised down south
The Grey Wooded Forage Association is planning its first trip to Argentina
Reading Time: 2 minutes Members of the Grey Wooded Forage Association are planning a trip to a new continent, and they’re looking for people to join them. The group will be hosting its inaugural tour abroad to Argentina in February 2015. The tour is focused on Argentina’s beef industry, and participants will get to visit farms, research centres, and […] Read more
Canadian Grain Commission looking for CPS Red or Red Winter wheat samples
Program helps marketers, and farmers who participate receive a free grade and protein analysis
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re growing Canada Prairie Spring Wheat or Canada Western Red Winter Wheat, then the Canadian Grain Commission wants your samples. “These are minor classes of wheat that not all producers grow,” said Twylla McKendry, program manager for Analytical Services with the Canadian Grain Commission. “We don’t have a lot of people in our database […] Read more
Pot-bellied pigs, Shetland ponies and rabbits, oh my!
Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale, Saturday, Sept. 27
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pssst… Do you want to buy a duck? Or sell a goat? How about a donkey? Then the annual Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale on Sept. 27 is for you. The sale, which has been running for 31 years, is popular with hobby farmers and attracts about 800 people from Alberta and Saskatchewan each […] Read more
iPhone-based program gives meat processors full traceability
BioLinks software also tracks sales and manages inventory
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re a small meat processor, you can now manage your entire operation using your iPhone and a personal computer, thanks to an Alberta-created program called BioLinks. “I wouldn’t want to run our business without BioLinks,” said Tim Hofer, manager of the Pine Haven Colony Meat shop. The meat shop was a participant in the […] Read more
Alberta agricultural producers accept the ice bucket challenge
Reading Time: < 1 minute The ice bucket challenge is hot, and members of Alberta’s farm community aren’t letting it cool off. Rick Taillieu of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission let each of his four daughters dump a bucket of ice water on his head. Farm advocate and blogger Sarah Schultz allowed her brother-in-law to use a front-end loader to […] Read more
New program takes aim at high early mortality rate of farmers
Stress, poor eating habits and other factors mean farmers have higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory issues
Reading Time: 2 minutes You can’t enjoy your farm if you’re dead — but many farmers take better care of their land, equipment, or animals than themselves. “It’s true for my family and a lot of farmers I know,” said Jordan Jensen, who grew up near Raymond and is now project manager of Sustainable Farm Families Canada. “Farmers tend […] Read more
It’s a long way from their homeland, but yaks flourishing on Rimbey ranch
Yaks are easy keepers, easy calvers and easy to move, but they are so rare, it’s hard to find yak meat and fibre
Reading Time: 3 minutes Shane Juuti can really yak about his yaks. They’re easy keepers, easy calvers, low maintenance, and do well in cold winter months, said Juuti who has been raising yaks since 1996 and now has 225 animals, the largest herd in Alberta. That’s roughly one-quarter of the Canadian herd, which numbers less than 1,000 (there are […] Read more
Beef research council putting out the welcome mat for young researchers
Many new researchers are born overseas or are unfamiliar with the Canadian cattle industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes Worried by the prospect of losing rising young stars, the Beef Cattle Research Council is reaching out with a mentorship program that matches scientists new to the Canadian cattle scene with industry vets. “We want to take researchers with great technical skills and make sure they stay within our industry,” said Andrea Brocklebank, executive director […] Read more