Reading Time: 2 minutes Anew initiative is trying to show urbanities that grasslands are pretty cool, and running cattle on them is a good thing. “The Conservation Caravan” is a short film featuring producers from five southern Alberta ranches who talk about sustainability, land use and the importance of good stewardship. Operation Grassland Community is behind the film and […] Read more
Grassland preservation group takes message of rural stewardship to urbanites
Five southern Alberta ranches featured in stewardship and sustainability video
Livestock trailers help emergency personnel respond to crisis, save lives
AFAC’s trailers installed in several counties throughout the province but another 10 are required
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta Farm Animal Care’s livestock emergency response trailers are saving lives. First responders in Westlock County used a trailer when a truck transporting 52 beef cattle rolled in the area. The responders, who had never attended a livestock accident before, managed to save all but five of the cattle, thanks to the trailer and […] Read more
Finally some good news for bruised and battered pork producers
PEDv has pushed down hog supply and sent prices soaring
Reading Time: 3 minutes Murray Markert sums up the mood of Alberta pork producers these days in a single word. “Relief,” said the Vulcan farmer when asked about recent record-high pork prices. “The money we’re getting right now will help fill in the hole that most of us dug to stay in the game.” For most, that likely means […] Read more
‘Fast Farmer’ videos offer practical how-to advice
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beginning farmers can now learn to build an electric fence — without ever leaving the house. Farm On Foundation has created the first instalment in a series called “The Fast Farmer.” The series will use podcasts, videos, photos, instructional sheets, case studies, and other material to provide practical information in an easy-to-use format geared to […] Read more
Frozen pulse snack on a stick takes the cake at Mission ImPULSEible
Reading Time: 2 minutes Squeals and cheers rang out as a team of four University of Alberta students won first prize for their creation, the Pulse Pop, at this year’s Mission ImPULSEible competition. The Pulse Pop — made from black beans, chickpeas, coconut, peanut butter and chocolate — is a frozen alternative to the popular cake pop. “We wanted […] Read more
Sisters share their love of agriculture
Reading Time: < 1 minute Do you think Shelby and Sierra Zmurchyk are excited about farming? The fourth-generation dairy producers are also pretty pumped about being the final winners in Alberta Farmer’s felfie contest. “We would like to say thanks so much,” said Shelby, 18. “This is a great opportunity to share our love of agriculture while giving back to […] Read more
Mountie on a snowmobile catches bumbling tractor thief
Thief went on mini crime spree, destroying fences, and tree stands, before rolling tractor
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a Prairie version of the classic Hollywood chase — a thief who tried to escape in a stolen tractor pursued by a RCMP officer on a borrowed snowmobile. Blackfalds RCMP responded to a break-and-enter complaint at a rural address on Highway 595 east of Red Deer on the afternoon of April 2. The thief […] Read more
Officials want ban on wild boar farming because of feral pigs threat
Wild boar are the most destructive invasive species south of the border, causing hundreds of millions in damage each year
Reading Time: 4 minutes The time has come to ban wild boar farming in Alberta, say field men and municipal officials in the Peace. “According to Alberta Agriculture’s information, there are only six or seven viable wild boar producers in the province,” said Normand Boulet, agricultural field man for the MD of Smoky River. “Our feeling was that if […] Read more
Novak: New pig welfare code shows ‘extremists’ wrong
Frank Novak says new guidelines on pain mitigation and gestation stalls show pork producers are responding to concerns
Reading Time: 3 minutes New rules phasing out gestation stalls and requiring pain medication for castration are proof pork producers are responding to consumer concerns, says the chair of Alberta Pork. “We think it’s an important thing to have, and if we follow the code, we’ll have to deal with less random outside influence, if you will,” said Frank […] Read more
Farmers forced to accept high land rents despite low crop prices
Grain prices are way down, but it’s expected land rents will take awhile to follow suit
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop prices have plunged, but land rents look like they’ll stay high for a while. “I know that there are guys around here who are renting land for way more than it’s worth,” said Kelly Burkhardt, a Wetaskiwin grain and cattle farmer who rents 450 of his 1,000 acres of cropland. “At the end of […] Read more