Labour, heat, water costs | Expansion prompts owners to install a labour management system to track costs and improve efficiency
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — The shine from within and without the 15-acre greenhouse is hard to miss while travelling on Highway 3 west of Medicine Hat. Its glass surfaces burn like a flame during the day and glow like a jewel during the night. Within its cozy confines, cucumbers grow year round and supply western […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Rat control team proclaims victory in Alberta landfill
Thirst was their undoing. A rat infestation in the dry and dusty regional landfill near Medicine Hat earlier this year has been controlled through concerted — and moist — baiting efforts. “The baiting was what did it, really,” said Alberta rat and pest specialist Phil Merrill. “We had a water bait, and in Medicine Hat […] Read more
Waste produces softer cattle bedding
Computer system maintains consistency | Separating solids from liquids helps dairy farmers reduce costs and labour
A growing number of dairy farms are investing in manure handling equipment that separates liquids from solids with the goal of reducing costs. Ed Vandenburg, who has a 90-cow operation near Lethbridge, installed a fan separator system this summer that has now been running for just over a week in his new dairy barn. He […] Read more
Animal, vehicle collisions come with steep costs
Southern Alberta project | Collision data help identify problem areas and pressure government to build more wildlife underpasses
It seems like they come out of nowhere, but suddenly a deer darts out of the ditch or is illuminated by headlights. Smash. In the drama of wildlife versus car, the vehicle usually wins, but there is always a cost. People can be injured or killed, vehicles are almost always damaged and the animal and […] Read moreUnion calls for public inquiry into XL Foods E. coli outbreak
BROOKS, Alta. — The union representing 2,200 workers at the XL Foods plant in Brooks said yesterday that management refused to address food safety issues brought to its attention even before the plant was closed Sept. 26 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Doug O’Halloran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401, […] Read more
Feed ration expert selected for excellence award
Robert Hironaka still recalls a phone call from a 300-head feedlot operator who was having problems with bloating animals. He was treating 20 head per day for the problem, and needed advice. Hironaka, a scientist at the Lethbridge Research Centre, had done extensive work on feed rations and feedlot economics, and he quickly identified the […] Read more
Feedlots eye hay as way to save
Tight margins | Feedlots looking for cheaper options are reminded to test feed for nutrition
Several Alberta feedlots plan to replace silage with hay in some rations to reduce high feed costs. Barry Yaremcio, a beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said western Canadian hay is moving east to drought-stricken provinces and south to the United States, but some feedlots in Alberta are paying $60 to $70 a ton […] Read moreFarmers, firms support foodgrains
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is looking to three or four more harvest bees to complete its grain growing projects for 2012. Regional co-ordinator Andre Visscher said Sept. 24 that total fundraising will depend on grain prices, but he expects farmers’ charitable donations to be substantial. “This year we hope to raise, in grain alone in […] Read more
Alberta eradicates rat infestation near Medicine Hat
Alberta’s rat control team has wrestled a Medicine Hat area rat colony out of existence. A large nest at the regional landfill, located in Cypress County near Medicine Hat, was dismantled last week, revealing numerous dead rats and no sign of recent activity. Alberta rat and pest specialist Phil Merrill said he expects one or […] Read more
Crop looks promising as sugar beet harvest begins in southern Alberta
Yields are estimated at 25 to 26 tons per acre, which is above the long-term average of 22 to 23 tons per acre
Sugar beet harvest started Sept. 19 in southern Alberta, when the first of 30,000 acres of beets were dug in fields near Picture Butte, Taber, Enchant and Vauxhall. Beets from the first fields constitute a “mini-harvest.” They will be used to get the Taber Lantic sugar factory up and running Sept. 25 so that it […] Read more
