Reading Time: 3 minutes Corn is one of those crops that has somewhat befuddled agriculture in this province for many years. It always seems to be just on the threshold of breaking out of its minor crop status to something more mainstream in crop production. It would seem that we have some ideal conditions for major grain-corn production, particularly […] Read more
Is Corn Production The Sleeping Giant In Alberta?
Learning To Live On And Off The Land
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recently, my two sons and I.moved out of town and into the countryside, the fulfillment of a dream for me. We re renting a ranch house northeast of Pincher Creek and there s even some pasture available. But perhaps the most exciting part so far has been the pretty little black Drolet wood stove in […] Read more
Remember The Adage About The Cure For High Prices
Reading Time: 4 minutes It s nice to see lamb prices are on the way up. There is more optimism and there is a level of confidence among producers not seen for some time. I remember a time back in the mid- 90s when we saw similar prices. That was when a dollar bought considerably more than it does […] Read more
LETTERS – for Dec. 5, 2011
Reading Time: < 1 minute Trapping Not The Answer Iam totally disgusted with your cover article on trappers (Nov. 7). This practice should have gone the way of the caveman a long time ago. Any person who gets a thrill out of injuring an animal and creates suffering of any sort should be charged. This is a despicable practice and […] Read more
R-CALF Not Happy With WTO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Excerpts from a press release issued by the U.S. Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) following the announcement of a WTO panel upholding a Canadian complaint on the U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) legislation Today, a panel of three foreign diplomats seated by the United Nation s World Trade Organization (WTO) issued a decision regarding complaints filed […] Read more
LETTERS – for Nov. 7, 2011
Reading Time: 2 minutes Board Guilty Of Ideological Bullying Today, (Oct. 26), I made the very difficult decision to resign effective immediately as the director of District 1 of the Canadian Wheat Board. In a letter to CWB Chairman Allen Oberg, I expressed my deep regret in coming to the realization that I can no longer serve my constituents […] Read more
Political Decisions Are Coming Home To Roost
Reading Time: 3 minutes It has been a couple of unusually busy months in regard to issues that affect producers and landowners in Alberta. I expect that many are somewhat relieved that some of these long-standing concerns are being resolved. But then resolution is in the eyes of those affected and it s not always positive or sincere. The […] Read more
What Parliament Giveth, Parliament Can Taketh Away
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are many things wrong with the way that the Conservative government has handled the wheat board issue. The decision has been made on purely ideological grounds, without even so much as a departmental review, let alone a proper study by an independent commission. That didn t need to be a review of whether to […] Read more
Century-Old Book On The Meatpacking Industry Still Holds Lessons For Today
Reading Time: 3 minutes Finding a new passion for something is a lot like falling in love in the beginning, you cannot get enough of it, and you wonder what you ever thought about before. And so it was for me when I began reporting on the cattle business I was insatiable. I discovered the discount shelves at bookstores […] Read more
New Minister Has Some Issues To Resolve Or Bury
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seems being minister of agriculture in this province is not a long-term occupation, as a recent cabinet shuffle once again proves. Newly-minted Premier Alison Redford has appointed Evan Berger, MLA for Livingstone-MacLeod to be our latest Ag Minister. He replaces Jack Hayden who has been moved, somewhat sideways, to be the new Minister of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
