Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has been praised and pilloried for her negotiation of the new North American Free Trade Agreement, now dubbed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Which does she deserve? University of Lethbridge political science professor Chris Kukucha thinks that Freeland and Canada’s negotiators did reasonably well. “Ultimately what happened here is we get an […] Read more
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Southwestern Alberta gets wildlife corridor
COLEMAN, Alta. — Bloody smears on Highway 3 between Lundbreck and the British Columbia border are commonplace. They are evidence of vehicle collisions with wildlife on that ever-busier stretch of road. Deer, elk, cougars, wolverines and bears are struck, killing the animals and causing damage and injury to the travelling public. Oct. 26 brought signs […] Read more
First World War shaped future of ag
Conscription and a price crash following the war fuelled the anger that sparked the ‘farmers revolt’ of the 1920s
The “war to end all wars” ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 — 100 years ago. It extracted a tremendous toll on Canadians. Nearly 61,000 were killed and another 172,000 were wounded over its four-year duration. It irrevocably changed the direction of the country and the […] Read more
Severe hailstorms drive up claims
Every cloud has a silver lining, as the saying goes, but for the prairie growing season of 2018, the silver lining came without many clouds — hail clouds in particular. The Canadian Crop Hail Association released its hail summary Nov. 1, noting lack of moisture in many areas this summer resulted in fewer storms than […] Read more
New documentary focuses on black settlers
African American homesteaders who arrived early in the last century make up a little known chapter in prairie history
They came, enticed by early 20th century advertisements about “the last best west” in Canada, where a quarter of land could be had for $10. The welcome mat was out. But when more than 1,500 African Americans arrived at the Canadian border, they were not welcomed. It became obvious that white people were preferred. In […] Read more
VIDEO: Have leopard frogs changed their spots?
Frogs are a litmus test for the health of riparian areas and efforts are underway to increase populations in Alberta after years of decline
MAGRATH, Alta. — As a youth, DeVar Dahl used to chase and capture northern leopard frogs in ponds in and around his southern Alberta hometown of Magrath, Alta. Later, as a young teacher, he would capture frogs for use in teaching biology classes. But when he revisited those ponds to share the fun of frog […] Read moreNew trade deal cancelled dairy expansion
Dairy processors cancelled expansion plans in Alberta when the new trade deal with the United States and Mexico was announced. Tom Kootstra, chair of Alberta Milk, said he thought a major announcement about expansion was imminent earlier this year but the processor in question, which he refused to name, put plans on hold in May […] Read more
VIDEO: GM sugar beets revolutionize industry
Growers say the glyphosate-tolerant varieties have eased crop management and reduced crop’s environmental impact
Alberta sugar beet growers embraced glyphosate-tolerant varieties when they first became available about 10 years ago. They’ve never looked back. The technology has revolutionized crop management and growers say it has also reduced the environmental impact of producing the labour-intensive crop. “It’s nine years since we’ve been growing glyphosate-tolerant sugar beets,” said Alberta Sugar Beet […] Read more
Proposed program aims to conserve farmland
There are tax benefits for Albertans when putting ecologically sensitive land into a conservation trust, but there are no equivalent benefits for those wanting to protect productive, cultivated farmland from urban encroachment or development. Kim Good, president of the Legacy Land Trust Society, and Stan Carscallen, a Calgary lawyer and rancher, want to change that. […] Read more
Severe hailstorms drive up claim costs this year
Every cloud has a silver lining, as the saying goes, but for the prairie growing season of 2018, the silver lining came without many clouds — hail clouds in particular. The Canadian Crop Hail Association released its hail summary today, noting lack of moisture in many areas this summer resulted in fewer storms than average. […] Read more
