This photo captures two of the 11 projects offered by the Golden Circle 4-H Club — busking and photography. This busking performance at a local church last year, featuring glow Hula Hoops for a poi performance, was captured by members of the club’s photography project.

Forestburg 4-H club lets members clown around

Reading Time: 4 minutes Not many people can say they just clown around when volunteering, but 4-H leader Caroline Boddy does just that, thanks (in part) to her willingness to say yes. “I am notorious for just saying yes to absolutely everything,” Boddy said with a laugh. “That seems to work really, really well for me — it opens […] Read more

Plan for your children’s safety on the farm

Plan for your children’s safety on the farm

Here are some guidelines for creating a ‘hazard-free’ play area

Reading Time: 2 minutes Children “often perceive the farm as a big playground filled with endless opportunities to explore” and parents need to plan accordingly, says a provincial farm safety youth co-ordinator. “Unfortunately, they don’t always recognize the serious dangers that are often lurking around the farmyard,” said Janice Donkers. “Most rural parents want their kids to enjoy life […] Read more


Chancey Lane, pictured with incoming Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture president Deb Hart and competition founder Eric Dalke, won $1,000.

Agriculture has always been more than farming

Reading Time: 5 minutes Chancey Lane, 23, of Claresholm was the senior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. This year’s topic was: Working in agriculture is more than just farming. And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a […] Read more



David and Mary Beth Sibbald with sons Dylan and Adam at the family ranch near Cochrane.

‘I love to contribute’ is the motto of Cochrane rancher

Reading Time: 4 minutes When a young David Sibbald volunteered for the International Youth Livestock Committee of the Calgary Stampede back in 1990, he had no grand illusions about someday heading up an organization that today boasts 2,300 community volunteers and more than 1,200 employees. He was just committed to youth and agriculture. Those commitments haven’t changed, but now […] Read more

RCMP and Citizens On Patrol make it official

Reading Time: < 1 minute The RCMP and Alberta Citizens On Patrol Association (ACOPA) have officially teamed up. An Alberta RCMP release said the two have co-operated for many years, but deputy commissioner Todd Shean and ACOPA chair Beverley Salomons recently signed an official memorandum of understanding (MOU) which outlines their partnership. Citizens On Patrol is a police-supported, community-led program […] Read more


Leona and Blaine Staples have grown their U-pick operation to a full-blown agritourism venture.

Shop local trend has changed the game at the Jungle Farm

Leona and Blaine Staples have continually diversified their farm 
to capitalize on changing consumer shopping trends

Reading Time: 3 minutes Leona and Blaine Staples produce a bit of a different kind of commodity on their operation near Penhold. “We really farm people,” said Leona Staples, who has been running the Jungle Farm with husband Blaine since 1996. “One of the passions in our life is sharing our farm with the rest of the world. We […] Read more



A dummy filled with newspapers is placed over the power take-off shaft of the tractor.

PHOTOS: Kids learn a lesson about farm safety and machinery

The look on their faces said it all

Reading Time: < 1 minute Rural youth got an up-close and dramatic demonstration on what happens when clothing snags on a power takeoff shaft. A dummy stuffed with newspapers explodes in a millisecond — drawing gasps from the young onlookers. More than 750 students from rural Alberta attended Farm Safety Day, which is sponsored by AltaLink, at Calgary’s Stampede Park […] Read more

This is a still from the documentary “Secret Alberta – The Former Life of Amber Valley.” The film covers the history, legacy, and notable descendants of the most northern black settlement.

Legacy of Alberta’s black pioneers honoured

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s black pioneers have been recognized with a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque at Amber Valley Cultural Centre in Amber Valley. Between 1908 and 1911, more than 1,000 black Americans left Oklahoma and surrounding states to settle in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, seeking freedom from racial segregation and economic opportunity. They chose […] Read more