Reading Time: 3 minutes A little project that started as a way for a family farm to communicate with friends and relatives has become a way to showcase agriculture to the world. Charlotte Wasylik of Chatsworth Farm near Vermilion, made a livestream video tour of her family farm on Facebook Live near the end of March. “We were originally […] Read more

A virtual farm walk spreads joy far and wide

Albertans coming together while keeping their distance
COVID-19 can't stem the flow of good will and generosity
Reading Time: 3 minutes Drawing a heart and putting it in your window or turning on the Christmas lights. Finding small containers so you can give away farm-milled flour to a food bank. Teaching kids how to grow a garden. Across Alberta, people are finding ways to give their neighbours and communities a lift in these troubled times. In […] Read more

‘Northern Farmer’ reaps a bumper crop of YouTube followers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tyson Kucheruk never expected to be internet famous when he started his YouTube channel in 2006. “Back then, it was pretty much just for fun — take a video, upload it, that was pretty much it,” said the High Prairie producer known as Northern Farmer on the popular video-sharing site. “But later on, we gained […] Read more

From the Alps to Alberta: This couple pays it forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes Last month, Armin and Rita Mueller donated $4 million to Lakeland College to purchase land and establish a bison herd at the college. Lakeland plans to offer a bison production course by September 2021 and the donation will allow it to expand its training in sustainable range and forage management. The following is a story […] Read more

Opening the eyes of young women to careers in agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes If the participants are as enthusiastic as the presenters, a new event aimed at encouraging girls and young women to consider a career in ag will be a major hit. “The response from the presenters has been great — I have filled up my speaker spots faster than anything else I’ve done,” said Sarah Linde, […] Read more

Dairy producers thrilled to join ‘amazing’ Outstanding Young Farmers family
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year’s Outstanding Young Farmers were a little apprehensive when their bank manager first introduced them to the program two years ago. “At first, we were hesitant because we didn’t know what it was,” said Mary van Benthem, who operates a dairy farm near Spruceview with husband Roelof. “But after coming in and learning about […] Read more

Bank signs on as launch sponsor for ALUS Canada’s New Acre program
“We know that restoring nature on the landscape has many benefits for both farmers and their communities..."
Reading Time: 3 minutes Three hundred acres of farmland across Canada will be transformed into conservation projects thanks to a sizable sponsorship from TD Bank Group to ALUS Canada’s New Acre program. “The TD sponsorship is an indication that the private sector recognizes the value of this kind of work and is willing to put money behind it,” said […] Read more
‘Rare event’ 100 years in the making
Reading Time: 2 minutes It was quite a surprise for Harry Shierman during his 100th birthday celebration in December when his family presented him with a Century Farm and Ranch plaque. Harry’s father had purchased the Kathryn-area farm in January 1919, and it was Quincy Shierman, Harry’s granddaughter-in-law, who applied for the award. “I thought it would be pretty […] Read more

New Alberta book aims to connect kids with their dinner
Reading Time: 2 minutes When Conny Kappler decided to write a children’s book about how food is produced, she didn’t have to look far for subject material. In fact, 90 per cent of the photos in her new book — Dirt to Dinner — come from the market garden she operates near Rolling Hills, south of Brooks. “I want […] Read more

Students get hands-on education in sustainable food production
Reading Time: 5 minutes “Words without action are meaningless.” Teacher Steven Schultz couldn’t have predicted the effect those words would have when he said them in class one day 15 years ago. But at least one student took them to heart: She decided she wanted to take École Lacombe Composite High School off the electrical grid. She gathered a […] Read more