Reading Time: 2 minutes Lakeland College and Lethbridge College have each received a major funding boost and the pair has also joined five of their provincial counterparts to create a new research alliance. Lakeland is getting $1 million in federal funding for smart agriculture technology. It will be used to construct a new Livestock Reproductive Technology Laboratory and boost […] Read more
Giving it the old college try has a new meaning these days
A very small farm at an Alberta school has a very big goal
Reading Time: 4 minutes Irvine School is taking the ag-in-the-classroom concept to the next level — it’s creating an actual farm on its grounds. Construction is well underway on the Agricultural Discovery Centre in a corner of the school’s playground. And although it’s not big (just 200 feet by 200 feet), it will be home to a market garden […] Read more
Chickens come to roost at seniors’ home
Reading Time: 3 minutes Urban hens have become popular during the pandemic, but four hens in particular are a hot topic at a seniors’ residence in the hamlet of Villeneuve. The story of Lucy, Louise, Jackie and Melvina — the names of the hens — began when Donna Sheehan, the daughter of one of the residents, received a chicken […] Read more
The sheep are baa-ck — and Fort Saskatchewan is thrilled
Reading Time: 3 minutes The sheep have returned to Fort Saskatchewan for the summer. But for the first time in 28 years, they’re being managed by new shepherds. The Alberta community’s flock has become an institution over the past three decades, and a major tourist draw. So many were worried when Ralph and Kathy Playdon, who have been tending […] Read more
It’s (once again) go time for a host of organizations in rural Alberta
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s agricultural societies, 4-H and Open Farm Days are all gearing up for Alberta’s reopening. “We are seeing our ag societies start to fire up,” said Tim Carson, executive director of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies. They are also scrambling a bit as two months ago, there was no indication the province was going to be […] Read more
No ivory tower approach to this unique partnership with farmers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Normally when you need help on the farm, you need the workers to know something about farming and to be physically present. But for some members of the Food Artisans of Camrose County, having some city kids working virtually was no problem at all. Nearly four dozen students from the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus […] Read more
A bird’s-eye view of majestic raptors
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re on the internet and looking around for something to interest the kids, why not check out Alberta Conservation Association’s ferruginous hawk cam? The ferruginous hawks, which live on nesting platforms in the Milk River area, have been on camera since 2018 and viewers have seen some cool things, such as parents feeding the […] Read more
A side order of software aims to help small-scale producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes A local ag-tech startup wants to make it easier for small-scale farmers to connect with — and sell to — their customers. “We’re empowering farmers to go direct or go to wholesale and giving them more tools to do so because of some of the stuff we’ve seen through COVID,” said Shanika Abeysinghe, co-founder of […] Read more
Air ambulance plan gets a boost
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cargill is giving $400,000 to STARS, the not-for-profit air ambulance organization. The organization is seeking to buy nine new, medically equipped Airbus H145 helicopters, at a cost of $13 million each, for use in Western Canada. STARS has been flying missions in the new H145 aircraft from two of its bases since mid-2019, thanks to […] Read more
New enterprise blooms on former grain farm and tree nursery
Reading Time: 3 minutes After grain farming and tree farming, Ron and Debbie Cherdarchuk and son Cory Christopher turned to flower farming. And guess how popular you are these days when you have a landscape full of flowers that you’re willing to share? “The internet, and in particular Pinterest, have created digital envy,” said Cory (who uses Christopher for […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
