Reading Time: < 1 minute A group of Olds-area dairy farmers who developed an innovative consumer outreach program are this year’s winner of Award of Distinction for Communication from Alberta Farm Animal Care. “Six years ago the East Olds Dairy Farmers group, which is made up of several dairy farm families, developed the idea to host a breakfast for their […] Read more
Breakfast on the Dairy Farm an award-winning idea
Over 3,400 people have attended the annual summer event
Young Albertan aims higher thanks to mentoring program
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not every day you meet a person who can lay claim to being Canada’s only something-or-other. However, Ashley Gaudet will gladly tell you she is Canada’s sole registered veterinary technician with a veterinary technician speciality in clinical practice specific to production animal medicine. What does that full mouth mean? Equated to human medicine, the […] Read more
Albertans come up big at 4-H science fair
Reading Time: < 1 minute A trio of Albertans were winners at the annual 4-H Canada Science Fair. There were 18 4-H’ers presenting 14 innovative projects, ranging from analyzing the growth of microgreens to a look into a cost-effective manner of extracting chitin and chitosan from lobsters. Five projects were chosen as winners, including two from Alberta — an experiment […] Read more
How to hand over a labour of love to the next generation
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s not only family farms facing the succession challenge these days. 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 […] Read more
Ag societies gearing up for the summer — and beyond
Reading Time: 2 minutes Summer may seem like a long way off but across the province, tens of thousands of volunteers are gearing up for the annual frenzy of festivals and summer events. “All indications from our members are that they’re prepared, ready to go, and do what they normally do for their communities in 2018,” said Tim Carson, […] Read more
Kirriemuir producers named top young farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s newest Outstanding Young Farmers don’t really see themselves as special. They see themselves as lucky. “We’re not extraordinary by any means,” said Craig Ference of Double F Farms near Kirriemuir. “We’re just doing what we love. We’re very fortunate to be Alberta farmers.” But luck had nothing to do with the Ferences’ recent win […] Read more
Donation preserves central Alberta wetlands and grasslands
Reading Time: 2 minutes A central Alberta farm family has gifted 1,467 acres on the northwest shore of Gough Lake to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The Ferrier property, located 125 kilometres east of Red Deer, has 256 acres of wetlands and shoreline habitat that is home to deer, grassland birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. Several species considered at risk […] Read more
There’s no right way to be a woman on the farm
Reading Time: 3 minutes Billi J. Miller has never been a traditional ‘farmwife’ — whatever that means anyway. And that’s just fine by her. “The term ‘farmwife’ has changed so much,” said the Lloydminster-area author. “I don’t fit into that box. And there’s comfort in knowing that there are other women like you.” In 2016, Miller published her first […] Read more
Seven years on, mentorship program has made its mark
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ricki Fleming was one of the first mentees when the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program began seven years ago. There were just five participants and while everyone liked the idea of pairing young producers with industry leaders, it was all a bit of an experiment. “When we first started it as a pilot, nobody knew how […] Read more
The guardian angels of the rodeo grounds
Retired Calgary firefighter says he's "living the dream"
Reading Time: 4 minutes Rodeo always has an element of unpredictability and danger and there’s nowhere that’s more evident that in bull riding. Typically the event kicks off with a sense of nervous anticipation, accompanied by pulse-quickening hard rock like AC/DC, and an excited announcer asking spectators, ‘Are you ready for some bull riding?’ The chute opens and everyone […] Read more
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