Alberta’s cities have an insatiable appetite for farmland, a recent study from the Alberta Land Institute reveals. In the Edmonton-Calgary corridor, urban development had swallowed 4,763 sq. kilometres of land as of 2013, a 52 percent increase from 1984, when the figure was 3,127 sq. km. In that same period, Calgary’s urban area expanded to […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Cattle herd shows slight increase
Slightly fewer beef heifers were held for breeding compared to last year but the number of steers rose 2.1 percent
Cattle numbers as of Jan. 1 this year were up slightly over January 2017 numbers, according to Statistics Canada’s livestock inventory figures released March 6. There were 11.6 million cattle on farms as of Jan. 1, a 0.9 percent increase over the previous year but still 22 percent less than the peak recorded in January […] Read more
Sheep are smart, handlers should be too
Miguel de Cervantes has it right. “Tis a dainty thing to command, though twere but a flock of sheep,” he wrote in Don Quixote. The author may have been speaking metaphorically, but making sheep go where desired can indeed be a delicate matter. It can be managed once people realize sheep are smart and adept […] Read more
Funds come in for award to honour Alberta rancher
BROOKS, Alta. — A legacy fund to honour the late James Hargrave of Walsh, Alta., is well on its way to establishment. Members of the Alberta Grazing Leaseholder’s Association got an update March 7 during a meeting where Hargrave’s absence as chair was all too obvious. “We just want to keep his memory alive,” said […] Read more
Rural shooting in Alberta sparks calls for action
Ranchers vow to support landowner charged in shooting, but rural crime watch group warns against using guns
Sympathies and concerns are both being expressed in rural Alberta following charges laid against a rural Okotoks-area man alleged to have shot and injured a person whom he believed to be stealing his property. Edouard Maurice, who lives just outside Okotoks, is scheduled to appear in court March 9 on charges of aggravated assault, pointing […] Read more
Rival might be on the way for Russett Burbank potato
The Russet Burbank has long been the king of potatoes. It’s the most widely grown variety in North America. Also known as the netted gem, it is loved for its shape, flesh colour, shallow eyes, storability and excellence in baking and french fries. A new variety presented earlier this month by Agriculture Canada for accelerated […] Read more
Soil health can be a difficult term to pin down
Soil fertility is more than just health; it also encompasses yield, climate regulation, water filtration and biodiversity
Soil health is not a scientific term. It conjures imagery of human wellness but the term is imprecise and ambiguous. So says Henry Janzen, well-known Agriculture Canada research scientist in the fields of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling, greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration. Soil health is context dependent, he told those participating in […] Read moreArcheology road show planned for Alta.
Farmers and ranchers find things when they’re out on the land. Strange objects, odd rocks and historical artifacts have all been known to turn up. Those who have made such finds in southwestern Alberta can have them examined and perhaps explained by experts during an event planned March 24-25 at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre […] Read more
Crime resolution on rural agenda
The rural crime problem is expected to be up for discussion March 20-21 at the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties spring convention. Lacombe County has put forward a resolution calling for strategies to prevent and combat rural crime and punish those convicted “in a manner that will maximize deterrence.” The resolution further seeks […] Read more
Alta. announces more wildfire compensation
Residents in the Municipal District of Acadia and Cypress County who suffered damage can access one-time grants
The Alberta government has earmarked another $200,000 to assist farmers and ranchers affected by an Oct. 17, 2017, prairie fire in the province’s southeast. Provincial Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier said funds in the one-time grant can be accessed by residents in the Municipal District of Acadia and Cypress County who sustained losses. Details of how […] Read more
