Reading Time: < 1 minute No, this is not an elk farm. This herd was just passing through the pasture fields, on a ranch between Okotoks and Turner Valley. Wildlife damage usually increases in late winter as hunger makes wildlife more bold, said Charity Wallace of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. Limiting access to food sources, like bales and […] Read more
Photo: Hungry elk herd
Alzheimer’s on the farm carries special risks
People living on farms face additional challenges when dealing with Alzheimer’s
Reading Time: 4 minutes Watching Alzheimer’s steal away a loved one is always painful, but there are additional challenges when you’re living on a farm. Trent, a grain farmer from east-central Alberta, knows this all too well. He farmed with his father, now in his late 70s, until five years ago. “I knew Dad was getting older and getting […] Read more
The formula for success on your farm
Straight from the hip: The challenges in farming are numerous and diverse, but Nuffield Scholar Jamie McCoy has found successful farmers have a common approach
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Jamie McCoy, my guest from Wales, sat around our fire last summer, she glowed with passion for the family farm. A fellow Nuffield Scholar, her project was to look at opportunities for small holdings. The release of her report in 2014, the International Year of Family Farming, could not be timelier. Of course the […] Read more
Be safe when moving equipment
There are many pitfalls — from not wearing a seatbelt to free-wheeling in higher gears — that increase the chances of being in a serious accident
Reading Time: 3 minutes According to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR) program, 13 per cent of farm-related fatalities across Canada are traffic related, and most involved tractors. During the busy fall harvest season, farmers often travel long distances between fields, and this requires transporting equipment on public roads throughout rural Alberta. Farm equipment is oversized and slow compared […] Read more
Be safe around power lines
Reading Time: < 1 minute Joint Utility Safety Team – Every day, two to three Albertans needlessly risk their lives by contacting an overhead or underground power line. In 2013, this translated into about 782 power line incidents in Alberta. Although that’s a significant decrease from the 934 incidents reported in 2012, power line safety should be top of mind for […] Read more
It’s no longer a man’s world in agriculture
Conference highlights the new reality — women not only play a key role in agriculture but are critical to its success
Reading Time: 3 minutes ‘Mommas, don’t let your daughters miss out on careers in agriculture!’ That’s how the Willie and Waylon classic could have been modified by anyone attending the inaugural Advancing Women Conference in Calgary. The event, created by well-known conference organizer Iris Meck, was designed to provide life and leadership skills for women involved in agriculture. While […] Read more
Keeping young people on the farm — in Mali
A 'radio reality' series on a local radio station aims to convince young Africans that farming can be a profitable career
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s a worldwide challenge — convincing young people that farming can be a profitable and rewarding career. In Mali, a rural radio station is taking on the challenge through a contest developed along with Farm Radio International, a Canadian organization that works with more than 500 radio stations broadcasting to millions of farmers in Sub-Saharan […] 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
Daysland lamb producer reveals her secret for success
Lisa and Troy Greenstein were thinking about hobby farming when they left city life behind, but it’s become much more
Reading Time: 3 minutes Persistence is the key ingredient if you want to get your farm product into grocery stores, say Lisa and Troy Greenstein. “I’m like a dog with a bone — if I get an idea in my head, I don’t let it drop until we get there,” said Lisa. “Two and a half years ago, I […] Read more
Felfie entrants getting the word out about agriculture
Reading Time: 2 minutes They are the faces of Alberta farming — 14 of them anyway. The felfie craze has died down a bit since Alberta Farmer invited producers to send in their farmer selfies a month and a half ago. But the effort to show the world that there are real, everyday people behind every food item on […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
