Across Alberta, people are finding ways to give their neighbours and communities a lift in these troubled times.

In the hamlet of Delburne, east of Red Deer, the Family and Community Support Services and local Family School Wellness Worker initiated a ‘Red Heart Campaign’ — encouraging people to put a drawing of a red heart in a window where passersby can see it.

“When your neighbours see the heart or people walk by, it will be like sending a virtual hug,” the groups said. “Your community will share a positive and heartwarming safe interaction with each other.”

In southern Alberta, Cor Van Raay was encouraging folks to turn on their Christmas lights.

“We keep our Christmas lights on as a sign of hope. Maybe other people will join us,” the successful farmer, businessman and active philanthropist wrote in a note accompanying a $100,000 donation to the local Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.

The Viking Hutterite Colony also wanted to help a food bank (in this case the Islamic Family and Social Services Association Food Bank in Edmonton). There was no problem sending potatoes, carrots and cabbages but the food bank was also looking for flour.

“We’ve grown some red fife wheat here to grind with a small mill for our own use,” said Paul Wipf, the colony’s farm steward. “When this group reached out for flour, we did an extra run.”

The problem was portioning out flour from a 30-pound pail didn’t fit with new COVID-19 handling guidelines. However, a local Cargill outlet was able to provide some smaller pails.

“We hope people see this and it reminds others to help,” said Wipf. “We stand shoulder to shoulder through this serious situation. We need to be a light, and regardless of race or denomination, step out and help.”

Figuring out a way to help was on the mind of Leona Staples, even though the pandemic has raised all sorts of issues for her operation, The Jungle Farm. In normal times, the farm attracts not only people coming for fresh flowers and veggies, but also agri-tourists, including school field trips.

“I’ve had a few teachers in the past request a video to help students prepare before they tour here, so I’ve put some up on Facebook,” said Staples. “But now with no schools in, kids will be missing field trips and I’ve had requests to do something.”

So she’s set up her own YouTube channel (search for “the jungle farm”) and aims to put up a new educational video at least once a week, providing a resource to teachers and parents. The first one explained the difference between a perennial and an annual plant as she worked in the greenhouse.

“I’ve also been getting far more questions from people on how to grow a garden,” said Staples.

“My goal in doing this education is to keep us in front of teachers’s minds or maybe even reach those who don’t know yet about our programs, as well as giving some value back to those who’ve supported us for a long time.”

The support for farmers is even stronger these days.

Staples is also a member of Innisfail Growers, which has seen demand for its vegetables soar but lost its venue in Red Deer when the community centre that was home to their Saturday market closed because of the pandemic. So the group got permission to set up in a Co-op parking lot and created a drive-thru operation.

Housebound musicians around the world have been putting on mini-concerts from home and streaming them.

From this ranch in southern Alberta, country star Corb Lund did one better on his Facebook page — demonstrating proper handwashing while singing the chorus (three times) of his catchy hit “Rye Whiskey.” The video was seen more than a quarter of a million times in the first week it was posted. A history buff, Lund is also offering ‘unsolicited survival tips’ from the Old West (such as the fact porcupine can be a food source in times of emergency).

There are easier ways, however, to get food, including local food. Alberta’s Open Farm Days has created a list of farms that have storefronts and online operations. A link to the list is at albertafarmdays.ca.

The post Albertans coming together while keeping their distance appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

To some, the longtime research manager of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm is a wise prophet and caretaker. For others, his message is radical and uncomfortable — something the well-known soil health expert does nothing to diminish.

“Eroding and degrading the soil should be the scariest thing you discuss,” Beck said at the recent Farming Smarter conference. “Never in history has all mankind knowingly approached such a disaster.”

Beck told attendees that the landscape at his South Dakota research farm is very similar to southern Alberta, which makes their findings very applicable. When the farmer-owned operation was set up in 1990, board members were all tillers — now none of them are. That move and other soil health practices have made a dramatic difference, he said.

Because of the irrigation once common around Dakota Lakes, one of the first research priorities was keeping water from running off the fields. Now, Beck said, you can put on two inches of water in nine minutes and walk right behind the irrigators and not get muddy boots.

Water penetration and retention is so good, many farmers in the area no longer use costly irrigation and have gone back to dryland farming.

That is the sort of result that has earned Beck fans across North America, including in Alberta.

Foremost-area farmer Brian Hildebrand, who introduced Beck, said it’s all about having a ‘brain transplant’ as you look at the process of farming differently, and much more holistically. Beck used the phrase ‘transformational change’ and reminded listeners the light bulb did not come from making candles incrementally better.

He challenged attendees to look at their operation with new eyes.

For example, when they see ditches full of water in spring, farmers should be thinking about how they could have held that water in their fields instead of allowing it to run off.

Beck also advocates for a ‘catch and release’ approach to nutrients, so they won’t get away either. Fertility management, he said, is about ensuring nutrients and moisture are available when roots can take them up and put them to use.

Crop diseases and weeds, including weed resistance, should be seen as nature’s way of adding diversity to a system using tight rotations, said Beck, a strong proponent of cover crops. Dakota Lakes now implements cover and dual cropping systems to battle weeds in a natural way. That diversity also encourages a variety of natural predators such as insects, he said, adding Dakota Lakes has not used any broadcast insecticides for 16 years.

His definition of no till is not so much an absence of tillage, as it is managing soil, water, and soil structure to produce a crop which is healthy, rather than one that doesn’t get sick.

Beck’s big message was the need to take the ‘long view’ of working with the land.

He said native peoples looked ahead seven generations when making decisions, before adding that limited tenure and short-term goals of governments hamper long-term thinkers.

“Getting government policy to line up with where reality should be is also hard,” he said of the export-oriented focus of agribusiness.

“But is that really what we want to do long term? That’s the biggest hinderance — a lot of the policies are designed to be short term in nature instead of long term.”

Beck keeps in touch with farming practices in Alberta. He usually comes to speak to farm groups in the province at least once a year, and met his wife Ruth when she was a district agriculturist in Bow Island more than 30 years ago.

He said he has seen some pro­gress from Alberta producers and understands the challenges they face.

“They’ve got to the point where they’re doing less tillage,” said Beck. “There’s some of the guys in the group that I work with, like Brian Hildebrand, who are starting to get the thing. But in cold and dry environments, getting diversity is difficult. The prairie is very, very diverse, but to try to mimic that on farm ground is very hard.”

Beck said he sees glimmers of hope, such as farm families who have changed their approach to the land and a different mindset among many of the next generation returning to the farm.

“Actually, the women get it a lot better than the men sometimes, and that’s a sexist thing to say — but they’re not as into the tractors, they’re more into the biology,” he said. “I’m somewhat optimistic. I’m just disappointed that it took so long. I’ve been coming here for so many years.”

Observe nature and its creative biological processes, instead of trying to change them, he urged the farmers in the audience.

“Understand the natural processes,” he said. “If we try and go against that, then Mother Nature wins.

“That’s really what we’re saying today. Get some diversity in there. Use the natural processes to help you instead of fighting against them.”

The post Stop fighting Mother Nature — because you’re going to lose appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

This year, the University of Alberta marked the centennial of the founding of the Department of Household Economics.

“There aren’t a lot of programs at the U of A that have been around for 100 years, so it is an exciting and important milestone to celebrate,” said Deanna Williamson, chair of the department now called human ecology.

“The longevity of our programs in home economics and human ecology speaks to the ongoing relevance of our education and research programs, that there’s a place for the kinds of things we do focus on — which is enhancing everyday life.

“That’s looked a little bit different at different times in history, but what has remained the same is our focus on the perennial problems people face in their lives, in their families, in their communities, and how to address them.”

One reason for the program’s resilience, according to Williamson, is the applied discipline approach. By including a required practicum in the field, the department stays very connected to communities, so it can respond to the needs and concerns in people’s everyday lives. So students and researchers deal with topics such as aging; children, youth and families; textiles and science; and material culture.

The centenary was not just a celebration of a milestone but a chance to take a deeper look into the role of women in society, and how they are viewed, said Sherry Ann Chapman, the department’s practicum co-ordinator who was asked to give its annual Empey lecture on the centenary.

In digging into the past, she discovered opposing views of women’s roles are as old as the department itself.

“It was a great opportunity for me to actually put some pieces of the puzzle together for my own understanding,” said Chapman. “I was aware of a ‘social justice’ component of what human ecologists do, yet I was also bumping into what people call the cliché (of the profession) as ‘just cooking and sewing.’”

Even as the school was being founded, there was a debate about where women “belong,” she said.

“The very first director of the household economics department on campus, as she was trying to pull together resources for that new curriculum in 1918, was up against this cliché,” said Chapman. “Some of the early leaders were focused on education for women, but in the private sphere, at home. Other leaders were saying this was the time to advocate for the women’s vote, for education to be in the public sphere.”

These two opposing views persisted over the decades — although in sometimes surprising ways.

A particularly striking example for Chapman was in the 1960s when female professors and instructors at the university were fighting for equal benefits. Meetings were organized to push for this change, but some ‘feminist-minded’ fellow instructors claimed home economists didn’t belong at the meetings because they taught cooking and sewing — and were therefore ‘part of the problem.’

But the home ec instructors stayed at the table, talking about their role in the lives of women. The two sides found they had some common goals, and over time became allies.

“Very much in keeping with the nature of human ecology, it’s about relationship building and trying to affect change — and that’s exactly what they were doing,” said Chapman.

Enrolment in the department, which has gone through several name changes and relocations over the years, was as high as 400 in the peak years of the 1970s. These days, the department has between 150 and 180 undergrads. It is also the only department of human ecology in the country — other universities have some of the same courses, but they’ve been absorbed into a variety of other departments.

Graduates work in a wide range of careers, including in government, non-profits, the textile industry, and even museums. And while many might recall district home economists, who were part of the provincial Agriculture Ministry for many years, the training takes students to many specialized fields and diverse careers. That now includes the Canadian Senate, which welcomed Patti LaBoucane-Benson in October. She obtained her master’s degree and PhD in Human Ecology and worked for many years with Native Counselling Services of Alberta, focusing on the well-being of Indigenous youth and families.

Because of the diverse specialties that fall under the ‘human ecology’ umbrella, creating awareness of the opportunities that the department offers isn’t always easy, said Williamson.

“Lots of people don’t know what we are,” she said. “But our work is on topics important to people. Being a good parent; supporting parents/grandparents as they age; design of clothing that’s not only esthetic but also safe and comfortable; design of workplaces that are accessible and meeting the needs of people.

“All of these things really do have an effect on quality of life.”

Much has changed in the 100 years since ‘Miss’ Mabel Patrick was hired as the first household economics instructor (and later the school’s director for more than three decades). But the core values of the department are unchanged, said Williamson.

“We’re not sending people to the moon, or curing cancer,” she said. “We focus on things that do matter to people, but are often taken for granted.

“They’re not super-sexy… although we do focus on sex!”

The post A century on, ‘home ec’ remains as vital as ever appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

People are drawn to passions they seem to have an inborn inclination towards. With a little drive and determination, they can take an ability that comes easily and turn it into something special.

Fellow auctioneers talk about Ryan Konynenbelt that way.

The talented talker uses his skills on a daily basis at the Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange, selling cattle at the auction market in Fort Macleod. But every summer for the last four years, he’s tested his mettle by competing in the International Livestock Auctioneer competition during the Calgary Stampede.

When he first took to the microphone there in 2015, the Nobleford resident was just 18 years old. He was named Rookie of the Year, and placed third overall in the competition, an impressive feat.

This year, Konynenbelt chanted himself all the way to the No. 1 position, being judged the best of 36 contenders, some from as far away as Australia and South Africa. The victory came complete with a championship silver buckle and $10,000.

The international title has eluded some top auctioneers their whole career, so it’s no small accomplishment for Konynenbelt to capture it at the age of 21. But then, he did get an early start on the trade.

“As a kid growing up in the (family) feedlot business, we went to auction sales all the time. I’d go to cattle sales, and farm sales with my dad and grandpa and oppa and everybody,” recalled Konynenbelt. “I just always enjoyed the atmosphere, and the auctioneer. Listening to it as a kid, that was always something I looked up to, and something I always wanted to pursue.”

Learning on his own by listening and practising, Konynenbelt did his first sale at 16, at a church fundraiser auction. The nearby Picture Butte auction market soon got wind of his talents and had him selling chickens and rabbits on Saturday mornings. It wasn’t long until he was on the regular sales roster.

After graduation, Konynenbelt headed to Lakeland College at Vermilion for studies in animal science. He’s the first to admit he learned more from the side job he scored, selling cattle at Vermilion and at Lloydminster, than at class. By Christmas, the Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange had already approached him about work. So he finished off the college year and began his full-time career in Fort Macleod, supplemented by training at the Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, Montana, which enabled him to get licensed and learn about the business side and legalities of running an auction sale.

Konynenbelt sees professional competitions as a way to learn from his experienced peers. His success at them does not surprise Dan Skeels, who’s the only Canadian to have won the World Livestock Auctioneer championships (back in 2004). The Rimbey auctioneer first spotted Konynenbelt when he was selling in Vermilion.

“I saw this young kid and thought, ‘He’s pretty good,’” recalled Skeels, who hosts the International Competition and serves on the committee at the Calgary Stampede. “I said right then I’d hire him in a heartbeat. I was blown away with how capable he was.”

He’s closely watched Konynenbelt’s progress since, and even though he called this one of the toughest years of competition at Calgary, Skeels knew the young prodigy was a good bet in the Top 10 finals.

“The kid’s a rock star. He’s got the skills, sounds good, and acts like an old seasoned veteran,” said Skeels. “You can tell he has the desire, and the willingness to learn.”

Konynenbelt doesn’t like to dwell much on his strengths and abilities, but there are plenty of them.

“The chant is a big part of it, but there are lots of guys in there with outstanding chants and abilities. For me, I tend to not get as stressed as most. I’m more calm, cool and collected than some people will be. That’s what I try to work on in those sorts of situations.”

While Konynenbelt was happy with his go selling cattle and some chuckwagon tickets in the finals of the Calgary competition, he was still surprised when his name was called as the champion.

“My main feeling was, ‘I guess there’s always next year.’ I really wasn’t expecting it.”

But he was thrilled to be at the top of the competition, which is an annual highlight of the agriculture program during the Calgary Stampede.

“It’s a chance to showcase our industry and our skills, especially with the Stampede being in more the public eye than other competitions,” he said. “Some people have never even seen an auctioneer or know what he does, so it’s a great chance to show what we do for a living.”

Another perk for the winner is a direct buy into the World Livestock Auctioneer Championships, which go next June in Visalia, California. Konynenbelt plans to use some of his Stampede bonus cheque so he and wife Willena, married just over a year, can enjoy their first trip to California.

In the meantime, he’ll focus on bringing his A game to the auction market at Fort Macleod, where he also manages the yards and looks after the sheep division, along with his selling duties.

“I just really enjoy the atmosphere, being the middle man between the producer and the buyer. Considering they only get one or two paycheques a year, you’re working for them, trying to make them the most money you can.”

The post It’s not the patter, but the passion, for auctioneering ‘rock star’ appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

More than 100 farms participated this year, including HGB Bison Ranch just south of Olds.

It was a brand new experience for Heather and George Briggs, who were amazed to see some 500 visitors come through their farm gates. They came from down the road and as far away as Texas, although most were from the Calgary and Red Deer regions.

“It was absolutely phenomenal,” said George Briggs. “There was so much enthusiasm and happiness abounding. Everybody was having a good time.

“They were wanting to know lots of things about the animals, so there was lots of discussion about what we do and how we do it.”

It was a lot of work getting the ranch ready, which offered activities such as tours of the bison-handling system, the herd itself, and a barbecue. But the family enjoyed all the interactions, with topics ranging from animal weights to how much they eat, he said. They did find a ranch term like ‘pull the bulls off the cows’ took some extra explaining to curious consumers.

The Briggs have been in the bison business for decades, and after numerous consumer requests, began offering on-farm direct meat sales this February. So Open Farm Days was an opportunity to showcase that and do business. It was also an eye-opening experience for people to get close to the mighty animals, and see how calm they can be.

“I think every person had something to say about the naturally raised (aspect), and thanked us for doing this, and thanked us for having the meat store and for looking after the animals.”

Although it was a long day, the couple felt it was a valuable one.

“It was a lot of fun,” said George. “I know we enjoyed it and folks we had helping enjoyed it.

“We had good support from the county here. They helped us with a pile of stuff, like the porta-potties, the wash stations, and the people mover. They even helped us water roads to keep the dust down.”

The family also appreciated the role Open Farm Days played in getting the word out on the event, and helping ‘first-timers.’

“We had great support — we weren’t out there by ourselves. We had people to talk to, and the support system, so it was great.”

That view was echoed by the operators of Winter’s Turkeys. The operation southeast of Calgary came on board with Open Farm Days right at the start four years ago, only taking one year off for a family wedding. That means Lyle Weigum and Laurel Winter spent their anniversary this year touring guests on the fourth-generation family turkey operation.

“This was my second Open Farm Days here, and you can tell as an organization, it’s growing and doing an exceptional job promoting,” said Weigum. “We had 200 people come through, about 50 more than last year.”

‘Willing to learn’

Visitors were mostly new to agriculture, and mainly from Calgary. Family members fielded lots of questions as they toured visitors around the turkey barns.

“We find people often come in with preconceived notions about what a turkey farm looks like, and ours isn’t like that.”

Weigum said they can then explain the differences of their free-range and organic production practices.

“It’s a captive audience and being with the animals gives a direct context to what we’re doing. They’re willing to learn. It’s not like you’re standing on a street corner just talking away. They genuinely want to see what we’re doing.”

The most common question is, ‘where’s the eggs?’ — so they explain how they get the turkeys as small chicks and grow them from there.

“People compliment us on how the birds looked, and as farmers, we appreciate that. It makes us feel good that people notice the hard work we do.”

It’s also valuable as farmers to see what consumers want to know, and Weigum said they noticed a lot of confusion about the various terms describing meat.

“They don’t understand the terms, and wonder what free range means versus free run, or that organic refers to the type of feed the turkeys get. We can see people want to learn about that but don’t have access points. If the grocery store is the only place where they can ask questions, it’s tough to learn. It gives us a chance to answer the questions they might ask in the meat aisle.”

The event is also a chance to show “the passion we have,” he added.

“Some people think of modern agriculture as only mass-produced food, and heartless, and we show them it’s not like that. We’re passionate about it — we have to be because it’s not easy. We love what we do and it’s a perfect opportunity to share that with people.”

While Winter’s Turkeys primarily offers its products through retail and specialty channels, they did have some available for sale during the day, and were taking orders for holiday birds. As well, they had a country market on the farm, with a local apiarist, vegetable farmer, and flower vendor offering products.

Chicks a hit

But there’s one reaction the farmers can count on from their visitors. A visit to the barn with the ‘Thanksgiving flock’ (where the birds are about 2-1/2 months old) prompts lots of questions.

“Then we show them the Christmas flock, which is only eight days (old),” said Weigum. “Instantly, everybody wants to hold the turkeys, and they’ve never seen anything as cute as a turkey, and the phones come out and pictures are being snapped.

“No one took a picture at the grower barn, but when they see those baby turkeys, they really love them. I guess little things are cuter than big ones.”

Being close to Calgary brings a lot to Winter’s Turkeys but it’s tougher when you’re in a more remote area.

Kevin and Lexie Spahich only had about 15 visitors to their commercial lamb and purebred Nubian dairy goat farm near Marwayne (northwest of Lloydminster).

“We definitely didn’t get the numbers we were hoping to get,” said Lexie, who wondered if more regional advertising would help — although the nearest Open Farm Days stops were at least an hour away.

Still, the visitors to Amarula Nubians and Lambs spent about two hours each at the operation.

“We gave them tours of our sheep flock and our rams and our lambing barns,” she said. “We went through the process from when the animals were conceived right to where they would end up at market.”

They also talked biosecurity with the visitors as they all cleaned their boots before heading to the goat side of the barnyards to learn about the herd of purebred Nubians. They discussed costs comparisons between the two species, and returns (as purebreds, the goats bring higher individual returns for the genetics than the commercial meat lambs).

The audience included a nearby local farm family who wanted to learn more about sheep management specifically, but the rest were from cities, including Edmonton.

Most questions centred on herd health, how animals are cared for, and the whole process of raising them.

“It was really nice to be able to interact with the public, to be a feature farm,” said Lexie. “Maybe it will be bigger in the future. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

The couple is hoping to build on the event.

“We are on social media already, but this gave us a notch up, to say we’re serious and not just a hobby farm, and are interested in hosting bigger things and expanding.”

While organizers are still collecting feedback and numbers, Open Farm Days spokesman Tim Carson said numerous farms have already reported how busy they were on the weekend of Aug. 19-20.

“Our host farms have done an amazing job of providing unique experiences for Albertans to enjoy, and to learn how Alberta produces world-class food,” said Carson. “I anticipate this being the biggest Open Farm Days ever.”

The post ‘Enthusiasm and happiness abound’ at Alberta Open Farm Days appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The deal brings together the country’s largest processor of federally inspected lamb (and also a major feeder) and one of the biggest sheep-farming operations in North America.

North American Lamb Company will control lamb production and marketing along the chain — from genetics to sales — and aims to become a global giant in sheep products. If successful, it will transform what has largely been a cottage industry.

“The industry is really in a state of decline,” said Gary Alexander, president and CEO of North American Lamb. “The lack of supply, the lack of consistency. This is the lifeline for the SunGold plant.”

SunGold Specialty Meats has operated a four-decades-old processing plant at Innisfail since it was purchased by parent company Canada Gold Beef in 2011. Canada Gold has spent millions on upgrades and also built a huge feedlot at Iron Springs capable of finishing 50,000 lambs per year.

But getting lambs year round has been the major stumbling block to growth.

“Retailers want lamb 52 weeks a year and we want to be a solution provider,” said SunGold manager Miles Kliner.

The problem is that the lamb sector is dominated by small-scale producers and hobby farmers who lamb in spring, leading to a glut when those lambs are ready to market and shortages at other times of the year.

The ability to supply lambs throughout the year is what the other partner in the new company — Fresh Canada Meats — brings to the table.

Fresh Canada Meats (a subsidiary of Integrated Foods, a New Zealand lamb producer and processor) is the majority owner of Canada Sheep and Lamb Farms, a Manitoba operation with two breeding flocks totalling more than 35,000 head.

“They lamb every day of the week,” said Alexander. “So we have a 24-7, 365-day-a-year lambing operation, which is pretty unique in the sheep business throughout the world.”

Alexander, who was raised in Alberta, worked for Integrated Foods in New Zealand but is back in Canada to help with the merger. He knows the global marketplace for lamb.

“Even in New Zealand we struggle with seasonality because sheep are seasonal breeders,” he said. “So it’s really difficult to build a brand and continual supply to the consumer.”

The Manitoba flocks are composed of the Rideau Arcott breed, a Canadian line developed for lambing out of season and prolific production. The animals will be raised to a weight of 70 to 80 pounds and then shipped to Iron Springs for finishing.

North American Lamb Company plans to up the flock numbers in Manitoba to 50,000. There’s also plenty of room for expansion at the feedlot (which has the capacity to finish 200,000 lambs annually) and at the SunGold plant (which aims to more than double production to 200,000 head annually within five years).

“The merger is one of the few I’ve seen where it’s totally complementary,” said Alexander. “We’ve got assets and they’ve got assets and we’ve put them together and there’s nothing that overlaps or is redundant. It works really well.”

Once the base flock numbers are built up, terminal sire genetics will be introduced with more focus on carcass size and quality.

The new partners emphasize the merger does not mean established or new lamb producers will be shut out of the production chain. In fact, the new company will even be looking for more suppliers.

“There’s a huge opportunity to have lots more breeding done in Canada,” said Alexander. “If we had our production in Canada at 50,000 ewes… we’d still only capture about 10 to 12 per cent of the current Canadian market.”

But producers will have to meet the company’s protocols.

“To be frank about it, you need control,” he said. “If you don’t control you get chaos and we’ve seen plenty of that. It’s got to be someone who’s serious, disciplined, and who can accept standards.

“We have a term we call DIFOTIS, which is Delivery In Full On Time In Specification, and those are the things that we want to design our system to do. You can’t build consumer brands with variability.”

The market is ripe for expansion, said Kliner, adding that lamb is the only red meat in North America that’s gaining in consumption, and worldwide demand is growing.

“It’s a huge opportunity no one is seizing,” he said.

North American Lamb Company already has eyes on the U.S. market for lamb, as well as expanding beyond meat to markets for byproducts like sheep pelts and offal.

For those who may be concerned about the Canadian sheep industry teaming up with a New Zealand investor, Alexander counters the global sheep business is too small to be ‘parochial.’ Sheep production is declining in both Australia and New Zealand and global players need to look at the big picture, he said.

“I don’t think we’re all competitors. I think we should all be working together,” said Alexander. “There’s such a demand out there (for lamb) that isn’t being serviced that we can really rebuild this industry and make a viable consumer base using different geographies to overcome obstacles to seasonality.”

The post Merger a game changer for the Canadian lamb sector appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

More than 100 rural operations are on the hosting list for this year’s Alberta Open Farm Days on the Aug. 18-19 weekend. Even those involved in agriculture may be amazed at the variety of places to visit in their own community and beyond.

“There’s everything from the U-pick berry farms to dairy farms and cattle operations, and everything in between,” said Tim Carson, CEO of the Alberta Association of Ag Societies, one of the presenting partners of the event.

“We’ve got 114 host farms registered for this year, which is a significant increase over last year. We are growing almost exponentially in the public’s eye.”

Now in its sixth year, the first Open Farm Days attracted some 3,000 visitors. Last year, that mushroomed to almost 60,000 farm visits.

Visitors can now find host farms in most of the more populated regions of the province, and there are a growing number of tour stops within a fairly short drive of each other.

“We’ve come to recognize that any time you can get two or three locations for a visitor to visit in a similar area, the public tends to focus on those,” said Carson.

One of the host farms is Triple Lyoness Farm, a pasture-based mixed livestock operation near Westlock which is run by the three Carlyon sisters — Andria, Jessica, and Briana — and their parents, Rod and Janet. It’s the third year they’ve been involved in the program.

“We decided as a family this was a good idea to get visitors to our farm so we can showcase our production practices and how we value agriculture and our environment,” said Andria Carlyon. “We do a personalized tour, so we have a tour guide with each (visitor) and walk around and talk about our farm and show them things.

“They have different interests, so each year we try and take from their questions and what they wanted to see, and make it a better tour to try and encompass a broader scope of people. We’re continually trying to get more interactive while still being as safe as possible.”

This year that includes a wagon ride to the pasture to see the cattle grazing, walking with the turkeys, and even a roping demonstration.

So who are the people coming to explore rural Alberta and learn about their food sources?

“There are several different types of people who are going out,” said Carson. “There’s the ‘family day’ where we pack up the kids and go visit two or three different places. We’ve got other explorers who are trying to learn more about our food industry and what’s happening in agriculture.

“And then we’ve got those who are really wanting to taste what’s going on. They’re looking at the culinary side, where they’re coming out and enjoying a meal that’s prepared based on the local food products.”

That’s been a developing aspect, especially with the partnership of the Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance, which is helping chefs source locally grown ingredients. This year there are 14 culinary events.

The Open Farm Days initiative also involves both the Agriculture and Tourism departments of the provincial government, plus Tourism Alberta. The aim is to build rural tourism awareness, but there are economic spinoffs for agriculture as well. While visiting the host farms is free of charge, farmers can offer products for sale, noted Carson.

“Last year we had just over $145,000 spent on Open Farm Days weekend on direct farm sales. Farmers are finding value in these people now becoming connected to them personally, as they are looking to supplement their grocery list from the farm.”

Organizers are always inviting more farmers to open their doors to meet their ‘customers’ — and being a host farm may not be as hard as you think.

“We do what we do on the farm every day, and it doesn’t seem very interesting to us,” said Carson. “But the fact is two-thirds of the population in the province really don’t go to the farm very often.

“So even just being able to see a combine up close or what your penning operation is like and ask general questions about your operation and how you’re involved is the lion’s share.”

Carlyon agrees, and said all of her family members hone their agvocacy skills during Open Farm Days.

“Even within the day you get more practiced in how to talk about things and not use the industry jargon, so everyone can understand,” she said. “As more people ask questions, you realize the other things you should be talking about and explaining, because you’re so used to seeing it on the farm. But someone who is brand new has no idea what that thing is and they really want to know.”

And there’s nothing like seeing a farming operation first hand, she added.

“Anyone can visit and ask questions of the farmers and actually see what’s happening in agriculture rather than just seeing pictures or media and making decisions or choices based on that.”

The same principle applies to farmers, and Carson encourages farmers who are considering hosting, or who want to learn about a different type of farming, to visit farms in their area. A list of the host farms and culinary events can be found at the Alberta Open Farm Days website. The site has a description of each farm and event, along with a trip planner.

The post Open Farm Days has quickly become an Alberta institution appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Community efforts such as Growing Projects for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are looking to the future to see if they’ve inspired the next generation to carry on the cause.

One such venture finds itself in the middle of the process.

The Brownfield and District Growing Project was among the first on the Prairies, and has been underway for more than three decades.

“My dad and his cousin took the first load of grain from our project 32 years ago, and my dad will turn 90 this year,” said Faye Webber, the first woman to chair the Brownfield project.

The effort began as an outreach of the Brownfield Baptist Church, and is now into its third generation of volunteers. One is Webber’s son Jordan, who is involved at both the local level and as a national board member of the Foodgrains Bank.

“We have about half and half on our local committee. We have three members of the ‘next’ generation, and then three from the older generation — which would be my generation,” Webber said with a laugh.

Succession was on the minds of many at a recent meeting of Alberta Foodgrains Project leaders. Some groups are filled with seniors who are realizing they can’t carry on indefinitely and need some younger help. However, the dedication to helping tackle global hunger becomes a real heart work, so it’s not easy for volunteers to step away.

“It’s an emotional decision, as much as it is practical, because there’s such deep meaning and commitment when you are aware of what this means to people in the world,” said Webber.

“If I had to point to one thing in terms of succession and being successful, it would be that the older generation has to ‘choose’ to let go.”

Webber knows of what she speaks, as she and husband Bob, who also serves on the Growing Project board, are currently walking through the succession journey on their own farm.

Looking back on their Growing Project’s history, she said, it’s been key to always bring in the younger generation by inviting the whole community, kids and all, to take part. That includes the harvest days with combine rides, a celebration dinner, and even rock-picking days.

“It’s an inviting and welcoming place they have found all the way along,” she said. “There’s been a ‘growing into’ the care and commitment to the Foodgrains Bank. They grow a love for this work, so when they are asked to be a part, it’s not pulling them into this role. It’s where they feel a privilege to be a part of it.”

Succession planning goes beyond just the people organizing the pro­ject — it also speaks to the sustainability of the work itself, and adapting to changing times and farm circumstances.

When the Foodgrains Bank project began, farmers in the central Alberta community donated truckloads of their own grain that would be bagged and shipped to needy countries. It then evolved into selling the grain and using the money to buy grain in the countries that needed it most, both saving transportation costs and supporting farmers there. Growing Projects emerged as a full community effort, using rented land and donated inputs, with farmers bringing equipment to put in the crop and harvest it.

In Brownfield, a next-gen approach is being proposed for this year. It would involve using portions of fields to grow a crop instead of renting a specific field — a move designed to manage risk since clubroot has shown up in the region. It also hopes to broaden the involvement base by allowing for more individual participation.

Brownfield has also expanded its scope by bringing in ranch partners, who commit a cow for a market average price, with proceeds from the calf sale being dedicated to the Growing Project. A trial run this year has six cows as part of the program.

To maintain the community connection, the committee is considering a Harvest Day or even a week, where visitors could have combine rides at various farms. A celebration dinner after results are known is also a priority.

In addition, there’s an opportunity for the Brownfield group to help launch a sister project this year in the region.

When considering these and other changes, there are always active and healthy conversations, where all opinions are valued. That’s something that Webber puts a high value on because she views that ‘culture’ as key to a healthy succession process.

“The biggest thing is that the older generation is very aware and intentional about including the next generation, and letting go,” she said. “It really does come down to those things. (If we) value our younger people all the way along, when the time comes for them to step into some of these roles, their head is in it and they are a valued member on the committee. It’s not just plunking someone in there because of their age.

“I’m blown away by some of the young farm families’ heart and passion for this work, putting others ahead of themselves.”

The post How to hand over a labour of love to the next generation appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Those commitments haven’t changed, but now — nearly 30 years later — he can share those passions from a different position after becoming president and chairman of the organization in March.

At the time, the Cochrane-area rancher was also president of the Canadian Angus Association, the country’s largest cattle breed organization, and had a busy few months leading both groups.

“It’s just a fact that I don’t know how to say no,” Sibbald said with a chuckle. “It was never the design, more of an evolution.”

He’s been a Stampede board member since 2009, and served on several committees (beef cattle, livestock evaluation, strategic agriculture planning, and rodeo). The board has evolved over the years from a collection of committee representatives to a strategic thinking group from diverse backgrounds. Sibbald said he gets to rub shoulders with lawyers, entrepreneurs, energy executives, engineers, and real estate developers — although many have farming backgrounds and connections.

While the Stampede stays closely tied to its proud western heritage, it needs to be relevant to an increasingly ethnically diverse and very urban community, he said. That’s why education has become a key priority and prompted a focus on creating a year-round gathering place for urban consumers and food producers.

“Traditional ag shows have changed,” said Sibbald. “Twenty years ago, cattle shows were what everybody did in the summer. Ag has changed. I’m excited about change, I have always been viewed as a change agent.”

Serving on the Stampede board has given him a different perspective that he tries to share with his fellow purebred breeders, he said.

“Ranchers tend not to worry about their product after it leaves their farm gate,” he said. “I’m on the other side — I’ve seen a million-plus people pack a 200-acre facility over 10 days and what their desires are from a food perspective. They’re shaping our industry and that’s good, but we also need to be part of that, in having conversations through the whole value chain.”

Even producers of Angus beef (“a brand second to none within the industry”) can’t rest on their laurels, he said.

“That’s what I’ve tried to push breeders to do: To think beyond their ranch, their farm, their program, to the collective and collaborative effort we can all have, and how that has impact.”

Sibbald is a fifth-generation rancher — his family has been in the Sibbald Flats area since 1875 — and raises about 500 head of purebred and commercial cattle with his family at Triple S Red Angus ranch. Telling the story of producers is key to the future of the beef business, he said, adding he’s proud the Stampede has been able to initiate conversations that increase awareness of the real story.

“In our education platform, we touch over 100,000 kids in a year from Grades 3 to 9, whether that’s with our Journey 2050 program, the Stampede School, our youth campus which just opened, or the OH Ranch Education program. The basis of that story is always ag and food. It’s not only necessary, but exciting to have those conversations.”

Sibbald is also hoping more people from agriculture, especially younger people, get engaged in leadership.

“We’ve got the best set of (young) leaders we’ve had for several generations,” he said. “They’re more educated, more connected to consumers, and on the right path. We need to encourage them to have a voice today, not 20 years from now.”

While experience is good, the old ‘wait your turn’ attitude needs to change, he added.

“We need to provide the opportunity for young leaders to have a seat at the table now,” he said, likening it to a breeding program and noting “pretty soon the cow herd is old” if you’re not bringing in new blood.

His family encouraged him to start volunteering early in life, and Sibbald said he’s both grateful to them and to wife Mary Beth and oldest son Dylan who manage the ranch day to day.

“I couldn’t do any of this without family support,” he said, adding, “I might have to go find a job… because I probably won’t have one… when I get back to the ranch.”

In an interview shortly before the opening of the Stampede, Sibbald also noted he was going to be the first president “in a long, long time” to ride in the rodeo opening.

“So I’d better not fall off!” he joked.

He didn’t, but offering to take part in the opening ride is a typical Dave Sibbald act.

“I love to contribute,” he said. “I want to be judged by the future I create. I really live by that.”

The post ‘I love to contribute’ is the motto of Cochrane rancher appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

But two things are clear. The definition of fun is as vast as the Alberta landscape, and the tradition of getting together with community for pure enjoyment is older than the province itself.

Here are just a few of your options: quad wars, horse races, running with bulls, tractor pulls, farmers’ markets, and combine demolition derbies.

Who makes all this possible? It’s the 284 primary agricultural societies – made up of 66,000 creative and committed volunteers who are proud of their place, and dedicate an estimated 640,000 hours annually to enrich their way of life and welcome visitors.

While the festivities were created to encourage locals to gather and celebrate, folks from bigger centres are now being drawn to these homestyle activities.

And organizers are beginning to recognize that trend, said Tim Carson, CEO of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies.

“In many cases, they consider them more local events than they do tourism events,” he said. “But many people are actually looking to have a more ‘local’ experience when they are out touring. So attending some of the events going on in the smaller communities is a great way to immerse yourself in rural Alberta.

“It’s a way to not only get your community and what it’s all about out there, but it’s also a great revenue source for these organizations. They put in a lot of time and effort putting on these events, and accessing the larger community around them is always a bonus.”

In fact, ag societies in Alberta generated more than $44 million in revenue, according to a study done in 2009, and that figure did not include events put on by ag groups in the major centres of the province.

“It’s a much bigger impact than most people recognize,” said Carson. “It’s important to not only rural Alberta, but Alberta in general.”

While smaller ag societies aren’t generally tracking where all their visitors are coming from, Carson points out initiatives such as the Growing Rural Tourism conference and Open Farm Days have shown that people are willing to travel to the countryside.

“Ag societies are continuing to look for ways to entertain and stay relevant for their own communities. Because they are being as innovative as they can be with the resources they have, they’re attracting a new group of people to come and take in the events that are going on.”

There are plenty of reasons to make a rural trek this summer, that can satisfy nearly every interest. If it’s nostalgia and old-time machinery that tickles your fancy, there’s lots to choose from, like the Didsbury Antique Tractor Olympics (July 8), the High River Tractor Pull and Model T Ford Race (June 17) or the Model T Races in Bruderheim (July 29). La Crete has an antique parade and equipment demonstration (Sept. 2), Round Hill has a harvest threshing demonstration (Sept. 3), and Airdrie has the Art of the Harvest (Sept. 23).

If playing in the mud (or watching others do so while you stay clean and dry!) is more your thing, you can do that at Bruderheim too. As well, Bonanza has a Mud Bog with its July 14 fair, or head to the Glendon Derby and Mudbogs (Aug. 12), the Quad Wars in Darwell (Aug. 19), or the La Crete Mud Bog (Aug. 19).

Rodeos and horse events abound, along with cattle shows, petting zoos, parades and bench shows.

There are some interesting blends of new and old. For instance, the community of Millarville, just outside Calgary, is well known for its summer farmers’ market, but it’s added to that a half-marathon run on June 17. Plus the Running of the Races at the historic track goes for the 112th time in Millarville on July 1.

With this year being the 150th birthday of Canada, many of the July 1 celebrations are ramping up at places like Rosemary, La Crete, Ponoka, and Irricana. The community of Tomahawk is one that mushrooms well beyond its size, as folks from all over head there to celebrate Canada Day.

More than 20 of the organizations are over a century old, and this year the Benalto Fair and Rodeo marks its 100th Fair and Pro Rodeo on July 6.

Food — oh, the food — you can find in rural Alberta, with steak, beans, corn, and barbecues galore. In the fall, there’s the not-to-be-missed annual Garlic Festival in Andrew (Oct. 14). Pumpkins are featured in Carstairs (Sept. 30) and Eaglesham (Oct. 29).

The Association of Ag Societies has some handy planning tools for you to map out your calendar. You can download a mobile app through the website (www.albertaagsocieties.ca). There’s also an extensive calendar there, which is also shared with both Travel Alberta and Alberta Agriculture’s website calendar.

So whether you’re looking for something to do with visiting relatives, want to glean some new ideas for your own community, or just have a desire to explore a different region, it’s time to hit the road and have some fun in rural Alberta this year.

The post Hit the road — there’s summer fun in every direction in Alberta appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.