Reading Time: 3 minutes While walking on the path, I met a group of students working on an outdoor assignment, enjoying the activity and chatting away. I love to find out the story behind people — starting with a joyous welcome to Canada and asking the inevitable question, ‘Where are you from?’ In this group there were people from […] Read more
Conflict drives them from home, but hope is what they bring
Many of our newcomers had to flee their own country and they value the peace and opportunity they find here
Getting past the walls that we build around ourselves
Our lives change in profound ways when we reach out to others — and let them reach out to us
Reading Time: 3 minutes I am flipping through the photos of this past year. It has been an amazing time for me. Blessed at every juncture, I have been filled with light and love and pure joy. Despite huge and heartbreaking challenges, each day was worthy of this page, each moment a cherished memory. It was a lovely meshing […] Read more
Schoepp: Seize, prepare for and appreciate the day
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is nothing quite like a harvest moon. It is made especially memorable when watched rising while having a tailgate supper, or when moving into the next pass without interruption of light or landscape. It is these moments we treasure at harvest time. Everyone on the team should have a moment to stop and enjoy […] Read more
Animal welfare advocates honoured
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farmer columnist Brenda Schoepp and beef producer Stacey Simpson are the recipients of the Alberta Farm Animal Care’s awards of distinction for 2019. The awards recognize individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions in the field of livestock welfare, and who champion best practices and innovative ideas. Schoepp received the award for communication […] Read more
I have been blessed in the company of rural women
Rural women look to each other for help, inspiration, and empowerment
Reading Time: 3 minutes Perfect winter travelling weather on rural Alberta roads led me in November to the village of Plamondon. It might be a small place but her heart is huge, and it was a joy to laugh, cry, and simply ‘be with’ the more than 200 women in attendance. These days are gifts to me. To be […] Read more
There is common ground that bridges the urban-rural divide
A visit to a country fair — or the local elevator or feed store — is a chance for those conversations that bind us
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Oh, that is so cool,” the young woman exclaimed as she touched the cow on display at the local fair. Another man was blown away by the use of shampoo and conditioner on show cattle while yet another adult just kept saying, “Isn’t this amazing,” as she looked in the dewy eyes of a bovine […] Read more
Double win for Alberta Farmer writers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farmer columnist Brenda Schoepp and reporter Jennifer Blair have been honoured at the country’s premier agricultural journalism awards program. Schoepp won silver in the Press Column category for Temper Tantrums: There’s way too much drama on some farms, which ran in the Nov. 6, 2017 edition of the paper. Blair, a multiple past winner, […] Read more
Writing the story of our lives — one line at a time
There are different ways to view our lives, and the story we create from experiences, emotions, trials, and joy
Reading Time: 3 minutes We are born with an amazing curiosity that is exemplified in the child’s constant quest for the answer to why. Why does the water run that way? Why do I need to wear shoes? Later in life the questions get deeper and more worrisome as they move away from a sense of wonderment to one […] Read more
Communities are strong when their citizens are empowered
A strong leader is not enough — everyone needs to be involved and informed for communities to thrive
Reading Time: 3 minutes Community development is more than economic or social projects. It is the empowerment of people so they have resilience when faced with change and challenge. After completing my courses on rural community development with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations, I thought about what resilience might mean and how we can […] Read more
There’s a new kind of loneliness — but overcoming it isn’t easy
You can see it everywhere — at least you can when you stop staring at your cellphone
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was a beautiful winter day. The weather was mild and the Prairie ice was just right for skating. I was thrilled to see a young boy navigating his wobbly way around the ice. It was obvious he was new to the sport. Dad sat faithfully on a nearby bench and not once did he […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
