They were shy strangers for a day or so, but these Albertan and Newfie 4-H’ers quickly became fast friends when they hosted each other this summer.

4-H Canada Club to Club Exchange a memory-making ‘whirlwind

Reading Time: 3 minutes When the 4-H’ers from Newfoundland met their hosts from Pincher Creek District 4-H, the kids in both groups were shy, awkward, and a little bit (or even very) apprehensive. Seven days later, “we could tell when the kids were saying goodbye that they were going to miss each other,” said chaperon Myra Hammond. Fortunately, they […] Read more

Farm and agri-food employers hail call for foreign worker reform

Farm and agri-food employers hail call for foreign worker reform

A new parliamentary report backs their recommendations to fix critical 
shortage of workers, but will the federal government act on them?

Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm employers and food processors are hoping a new report will spur Ottawa to revamp its temporary foreign worker program. “There are lots of things in the report that are very positive for ag and agri-food,” said Mark Chambers, senior production manager with Sunterra Farms and co-chair of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force. […] Read more


Although livestock clubs remain the foundation of 4-H, there are now 35 projects that members can undertake.

For 4-H Alberta, the past 100 years have flown by

Reading Time: 3 minutes When W.J. Elliott arrived in Alberta to become the first president of Olds College, he quickly decided he needed to enlist supporters for his bid to modernize agriculture in the province. So he started Alberta’s first 4-H club — the Olds Junior Pig Club. “He had noticed that there were some poor livestock genetics in […] Read more

The generosity and commitment of Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing project participants is outstanding, says Terence Barg (right), shown here with Ken Pohl, organizer of the Farming with Horses growing project (and owner of this vintage John Deere-Van Brunt seed drill).

Group wants to help new farmers find success

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canadian Foodgrains Bank enjoyed another year of stellar support from Albertans — and every dollar of the $2.6 million raised in the province in 2015 was put to good use. “There is a lot of need,” said Terence Barg, one of the Foodgrains Bank’s two co-ordinators in Alberta. The organization, a partnership of 15 […] Read more


Before and after: In the summer of 2012, cattle were still drinking from a drainage channel that ran through Tomahawk Cattle Ranch. Fencing off the area produced a dramatic change by September 2015.  PHOTOS: PARKLAND COUNTY

Ecological services program catching fire in Alberta

ALUS grew slowly after arriving in Alberta in 2010, but it’s taken off in the 
past year and now 10 counties are on board

Reading Time: 4 minutes The notice in the county newsletter about funding for environmental projects immediately caught the attention of Gerry Taillieu. “I thought, ‘This is something I need to look into’ because it was offering financial assistance to do something we were already going to do,” said the manager of Tomahawk Cattle Ranch, a 14,000-acre operation in Parkland […] Read more

Alberta is the largest producer of alfalfa seed, but growers’ overseas customers have a 
zero-GM tolerance policy.

GM alfalfa may already be in Alberta

Accidental contamination of foundation seed heightens fears that forage 
and hay markets worth hundreds of millions are in peril

Reading Time: 7 minutes Genetically modified alfalfa has somehow made its way into Alberta — raising fears that western Canadian forage seed growers and hay exporters could be shut out of markets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Alberta Farmer recently learned that a batch of foundation seed contaminated with Roundup Ready alfalfa was sent to a forage seed […] Read more


A Chinese ship being loaded with Brazilian soybeans last year captures three big factors affecting grain markets — China’s buying power, rock-bottom freight rates, and a hugely devaluated Brazilian currency. But that’s just the start of a long list.

Hang on, market turbulence ahead

FarmTech: Currency wars, actual wars, China, ocean freight, Russia, and oil are 
just a few of the things roiling grain markets these days

Reading Time: 4 minutes Tough times are here to stay. This was the message that Errol Anderson delivered to a silent, sombre room during a session at FarmTech. “There is no sense kidding ourselves about what is going on,” said Anderson, a market analyst and president of ProMarket Communications. “What we’re going through right now is a correction. There’s […] Read more

Banff was the site of this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers event. From left to right are Shane and Kristin Schooten, Marc and Hinke Therrien, and Martin and Gaylene Van de Poi (with children Alex and Emily).

Diamond City couple newest Outstanding Young Farmers

Reading Time: 2 minutes Two city kids and a 32-year-old with nearly two decades of farming under his belt were among the entrants vying to be Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016. In the end, Shane and Kristin Schooten were selected to represent the province in the national event, which will be held in Niagara Falls in November. Kristin, […] Read more


Cattle leader says the future looks bright

Cattle leader says the future looks bright

Tim Oleksyn says more research dollars and a national strategy will pay rich dividends for cattle producers

Reading Time: 3 minutes More research and a new team approach in the beef sector is going to put money in the pockets of producers, says the chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council. “The collaboration in the industry is refreshing,” said Tim Oleksyn, a cow-calf producer from Shellbrook, Sask. “Actually, it’s more than refreshing. I think it’s the […] Read more

farmer raising his arms in success

Five reasons to celebrate 2015

There's no denying it was a troubled year, but don't forget the many good things that happened

Reading Time: 5 minutes As you look back on 2015, do you feel the January blues coming on? The oil price crash went from bad to awful, tighter margins were made worse by summer drought, and ‘disaster’ seems a charitable description for Bill 6. But there were lots of positive developments in the past year and now’s not a […] Read more