As the dust devils dance in southeastern Alberta, farmers in the Hilda, Schuler and Acadia Valley areas plant seeds and hope for quick germination and roots that will cling to the soil. They’re planting into land ravaged by an October prairie wildfire that burned more than 25,500 cultivated acres in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Amid flames […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Army base improves communications after fire
AFTERMATH CFB Suffield was blamed for a fire in Alberta last September that killed 120 cattle and scorched thousands of acres
Tempers were almost as hot as fire last year when residents from the Bindloss, Alta., area met to discuss a Sept. 11-12 prairie fire that spread from Canadian Forces Base Suffield. The blaze burned down one rancher’s home, killed about 120 cattle, burned winter feed supplies and scorched thousands of acres of native grassland and […] Read more
Researcher studies how forages recover after fires
Green, the colour of new life, has started to come back to areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan that were blackened by fire last October. Some tame species, especially crested wheat grass, are growing again near Hilda, Alta., and in other parts of the 17,400 acres of pasture that burned in a devastating wildfire. Native prairie […] Read more
Hog producers match wits with PED
Manitoba hog producers, veterinarians and others in the industry are nearing the end of a battle against deadly porcine epidemic diarrhea virus that affected 80 operations between April 28 and Oct. 24 last year. Dr. Glen Duizer, chief veterinary officer for Manitoba, said May 8 that 67 of those operations are “presumptive negative,” which means […] Read more
‘War time’ biosecurity needed to prevent PED
Lessons have been learned from Manitoba’s outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus last fall, which affected about 80 operations in the province’s southeast. Jenelle Hamblin, swine health manager with Manitoba Pork, was part of a three-month collaborative project to learn what worked and what didn’t in controlling the outbreak and to develop strategies if the […] Read more
Field pea designation a first for North America
The Environment Product Declaration recognizes crop as a product grown in environmentally responsible ways
The humble field pea has recently gained some international credibility through an Environment Product Declaration, and it is the first North American food product to do so. The designation recognizes Alberta field peas as a product grown in environmentally responsible ways as determined by the International EPD System. “It basically is a full cradle to […] Read more
Prairie shelterbelts experience a revival
Interest renews as technology reduces equipment workload and newer generations better understand shelterbelt value
WARNER, Alta. — Ask a farmer what crop was planted in a certain field 20 years ago and he may not recall. Ask a farmer when a tree or shelterbelt on his land was planted 20 years ago and he will likely recall the time of year, weather and who helped plant it. That’s been […] Read more
Researchers seek sheep for lameness study
Alberta producers requested the research study as a result of similar work being done in the beef sector
There’s not much Canadian information about lameness in sheep, its prevalence and various causes. A group of researchers plan to change that through a two-year study, and to do so they need producers to provide information about lameness in their flocks. Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, one of several researchers involved in the project, acknowledges that sheep […] Read moreAlta. county fosters edible forest to protect water quality
WARNER, Alta. — The County of Warner cannot be considered heavily treed. Its rolling prairie has wide expanses of cultivated farmland that allow clear views of the Milk River Ridge. But it does have a forest, and an edible forest, at that. Through the West Ridge Stewardship Project, a small forest, a wetland and walking […] Read more
Alta. still grapples with flooding
A long-awaited but all-too-quick spring melt in central and northern Alberta is causing problems for municipalities and farmers. Alberta Emergency Alerts, a provincial government service, had 27 communities on its list of those affected by flooding as of April 30 and nine emergency alerts affecting Mackenzie and Woodlands counties, the Grande Prairie region and municipal […] Read more
