The Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley Commission plan to share an office in Calgary through a joint lease agreement today. Located at 6715 8th Street NE, the leased space will undergo renovations with a move-in date planned for August. Darren Jorgensen, communications manager for the wheat commission, said the 9,000 sq. foot lease would […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Farmers market season starts in Alberta
About 130 farmers markets in Alberta will begin their season this weekend. Alberta Agriculture reported today that almost 75 percent of Albertans visited a farmers market within the last year and spent an average of $55 per visit. Eileen Kotowich, farmers market specialist with the department, said the figures indicate higher attendance at markets and […] Read more
High feed costs, U.S. imports hurt lamb prices
U.S. drought plays role | More lambs were sent to Canada for feeding and slaughter, creating a glut in the market
The best of times have been followed by the worst of times for Canadian sheep producers. Prices of $1.85 to $2 per pound for lambs in 2011-12 have plummeted to as low as 85 cents to $1.20 per lb. Many producers agreed that the heady days of top prices weren’t sustainable, but they’ve been surprised […] Read moreEmergency personnel learn to handle livestock
Alberta has eight emergency livestock trailers in its fleet and now a course to train responders in their best use has been initiated at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alta. The Livestock Handling in Emergencies and Equipment Trailer Training Course will likely begin this summer at Lakeland’s emergency training centre, depending on instructor availability. Kerri Sinclair, […] Read more
Project helps dog owners understand pet food
Fables of Fido’s Food | Student study discovers misconceptions about the role of animal byproducts in dog food
Reanne Forshner feeds kibble to her German shepherd named Odie. That hasn’t changed following completion of a study she and two other University of Alberta students recently conducted on dog owner awareness of pet food and nutrition. Called Fables of Fido’s Food, the study project was conducted through the university’s Capstone program in the agriculture, […] Read moreDog-sized dinosaur named for Alberta rancher
It’s not every day that a person has a dinosaur named after him. Rancher Roy Audet of Milk River, Alta., is pleased that day came for him. His namesake is Acrotholus audeti, a dog-sized plant-eating dinosaur that lived 85 million years ago and roamed the area that is now Audet’s cattle ranch near Writing On […] Read more
Alberta residents asked to submit ticks
It is tick season in Alberta, and the provincial health department wants people to submit any ticks they find so the insects can be tested for Lyme disease. Tests on ticks from pets and livestock have been ongoing since 2007, but the program has now expanded to insects found on people and in the environment. […] Read more
Margarine makers face difficult requests
Canadian rules require that magarine, an emulsion of fat or oil not derived from milk:
Canadian standards require margarine to contain vitamins A and D, but a manufacturer has been asked to add 10 times the normal amount of vitamin D to the product for an international market. Anthony Robert, manager of quality assurance for Richardson Oilseed Ltd., said company officials are still investigating the request, which came from a […] Read moreAlta. premier stands by opposition to provincial sales tax
Restructuring taxes Former finance minister says provincial leaders should consider bringing back a PST
The Alberta government has missed an opportunity to discuss a revised provincial tax structure, including a provincial sales tax, says a former finance minister. Ron Liepert told an April 25 meeting of the Southern Alberta Council of Public Affairs that Albertans are more willing than government to consider taxes that would allow savings for the […] Read moreSpring is time to assess winter wheat
Encourage tillering | Apply adequate nitrogen as soon as possible and consider weed control
Call it a rite of spring: winter wheat emerges from its blanket of snow and agronomists caution farmers not to make hasty decisions if emergence is poor. “In all situations, you’re going to have a variable winterkill pattern in the field,” Brian Fowler told an April 24 webinar organized by Ducks Un-limited. The University of […] Read more
