Reading Time: 4 minutes A group in southern Alberta has taken back a section of a short line rail, and area communities are enjoying the dividends. “We started Forty Mile Rail back in 2016,” said Lorne Buis, a director of the 75-kilometre-long rail line that runs from Stirling to Foremost. Last month, the group received $4.2 million of federal […] Read more
Southern Alberta short line is hauling in jobs and economic activity
Forty Mile Rail purchased a long-abandoned rail line in 2016 and got the trains moving again
Having just turned 50, Alberta Beef Producers looks to make changes
Changing the delegate structure and responding to the faux meat craze are two top priorities
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not a midlife crisis but having reached the age of 50, Alberta Beef Producers is considering some lifestyle changes. That includes reviewing the way that delegates are chosen, working more closely with both its national parent and its provincial sibling, and seizing “the opportunity” created by Beyond Meat, says ABP chair Charlie Christie. “Our […] Read more
Hutterite colony targeted by animal rights activists
Protesters weren’t part of an existing group and had no issue with the Jumbo Valley colony — other than it raises poultry
Reading Time: 6 minutes On Labour Day, members of the Jumbo Valley Hutterite Colony near Fort MacLeod opened their turkey barn to a scene that no farmer would want to see — their barn was filled with about three dozen animal rights activists. “They just showed up and walked right in,” said Frankie Hofer, manager of the colony’s poultry […] Read more
You can’t beat the view from these beehives
Flow Hives became an internet sensation and are now a fixture on a downtown Edmonton rooftop
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bees that have called the rooftop of one of MacEwan University’s buildings home since 2016 recently received a special visitor — the architect of their unusual hives. Australian Stuart Anderson, co-creator of the Flow Hive, dropped by the building in downtown Edmonton to see how the urban pollinators like his creation. Anderson and son Cedar […] Read more
Canadian cattle herd numbers continue their long decline
Alberta’s beef herd is down nearly a quarter from its peak, but slaughter numbers are actually up
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canadian beef cattle herd has shrunk again and is now down nearly 30 per cent from the peak in 2005. As of July 1, there were 10.36 million head on beef operations, far below the 14.74 million head that were around 14 years ago, according to Statistics Canada’s latest survey. “I don’t think anybody […] Read more
Conservation group backs beef sector
Ducks Unlimited wants people to see cattle as protectors of ‘threatened wetlands and grasslands’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ducks Unlimited Canada and the beef industry have a lot in common, and can work together to preserve vital grassland habitat, says the organization’s CEO. “For us, our main focus is on water and grass. It’s the same focus for cattle producers as well,” Karla Guyn said in an interview. The relationship between her organization […] Read more
Agreement shows how ‘cattle and conservation work together’
Ducks Unlimited Canada and Alberta Beef Producers to work together to raise public awareness
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ducks Unlimited Canada and Alberta Beef Producers have signed a three-year agreement to work together to “help Albertans gain a better understanding of how cattle and conservation work together.” The deal to work on joint public awareness campaigns is an acknowledgment their work on issues such as conservation, the environment and sustainable practices is complementary […] Read more
Everyone needs to be on traceability system
Even if you have just one pig, you should be registered with Premises Identification
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you raise pigs — whether in a commercial setting, on a natural or organic operation or in the backyard — get a Premises Identification. “During the outbreak, we used it for tracing, and we used it for notifying farms in the risk area,” said Dr. Julia Keenliside, veterinary epidemiologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. […] Read more
Relentless PED virus could return to hog barns at any time
An outbreak appears to be contained but incredibly hardy PEDv could reappear at any moment
Reading Time: 5 minutes We’ve got all of Saskatchewan between us — but that’s not enough to shield Alberta from the threat of a deadly pig virus that has swept across Manitoba. The virus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is proving to be a challenge unlike any other — an incredibly hardy infectious agent able to travel […] Read more
The news is not good — but it will get better, say market analysts
Harvest is one of the worst times to look for good news in wheat markets, but prices should soon rally
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not hard to find bad news these days when it comes to wheat markets. Recent news stories include the USDA surprising analysts by raising its production forecast (by 59 million bushels), European wheat fields coming through a record-breaking heat wave in fine shape, and the threat from Black Sea producers continuing to rise. (For […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
