Another day brought one more death in Alberta from COVID-19. Another resident of the McKenzie Towne Care Centre in Calgary died early today from the virus, bringing the provincial total to nine deaths from the deadly outbreak. Alberta recorded 64 new cases of the virus within the past 24 hours so the province now has […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
COVID-19 claims 5 Albertans in one day
Five Albertans died from COVID-19 in what was the most deadly and devastating day since the first cases appeared in the province. The death toll now lies at eight for Alberta. One woman in her 70s and another in her 50s died in Calgary. In Edmonton, two males in their 80s died. The fifth person […] Read more
Alberta unveils new ag research group
A new plan for farmer-led research was revealed today by Alberta Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen. Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) is described as a non-profit, arm’s length agriculture research organization. Dreeshen said its formation was a result of January consultations with farmers, ranchers and the agriculture industry. An interim board was announced, headed by Dr. […] Read more
NFU wants farmers markets declared essential
Worries about food supply chains in the face of COVID-19 virus effects and restrictions have prompted the National Farmers Union to demand that farmers markets be declared as essential services. There are more than 650 farmers markets operating in Canada, some of them year round and most only seasonally. The NFU believes the markets to […] Read more
One down, 211,999 to go: sheep shearing
The latest estimates on sheep numbers from Statistics Canada show there are 802,000 sheep in Canada, 212,000 of them in Alberta and Saskatchewan. That indicates a need for sheep shearers in the two provinces where Shaun Fajnor is among those who do the job. “It’s a pretty small community,” Fajnor said about shearers. “There’s good […] Read more
Parasites can affect weight gain in cattle
The lives of cattle can be far from placid if they are bothered by parasitic flies, ticks and mites, which also affect animals’ production and weight gain. Thirteen different parasites affect beef cattle in Canada and if they reach high numbers and are not properly addressed, they can cause stress, weight loss, lower milk production […] Read more
Food survey to beef up Alberta consumer data
An Alberta specific survey through the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity is in the works. John Jamieson, president and chief executive officer for the centre, told Alberta sugar beet growers that this year’s survey of the Canadian public would include a larger sample size in Alberta and at least 10 questions specific to agriculture in […] Read more
Alberta Ag turns over part of web service
One element of the former Ropin’ the Web internet site will soon be revived by the Alberta Forage Industry Network under a new name. Farming the Web is expected to serve as a replacement to the general store portion of Ropin’ the Web, which was shut down by Alberta Agriculture last summer. That move prompted […] Read more
Alta. takes further steps to contain COVID-19 spread
An additional 56 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alberta since yesterday, bringing the total to 542. Up to 42 of them are likely from community transfer and the continually rising number requires stronger actions to contain the spread, said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. The maximum size for group gatherings has been lowered to […] Read more
B.C. cattle group cancels annual meeting
The British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association has cancelled the 2020 annual meeting slated for May 28-30 because of concerns and restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is certainly not alone in having to cancel a major event, said BCCA vice-president Renee Ardill. “We felt we’d better do it sooner than later,” she said last week. […] Read more
