Extended family diversifies | Farm provides restaurants with fruit and vegetables and operates a retail store and winery
CAWSTON, B.C. — A 100-year-old apple tree in Troy and Sara Harker’s yard exemplifies the deep roots the family has in this farming community in British Columbia’s Similkameen Valley. Named B.C.’s outstanding young farmers, this young couple is part of a large family unit where parents and siblings work together on a diversified organic operation. […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
B.C. cherry packer provides tender, loving care
B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative | Quick turn around is vital when handling and shipping a crop as perishable as cherries
KELOWNA, B.C. — The first bins of British Columbia cherries flowed into the packing houses by the end of June. Cherries are perishable and must be handled with care, receiving individual attention as each one moves through a series of conveyors. Each is checked for splits, bruises and bird damage. Cull rates vary from five […] Read moreCherries grow into big business
Okanagan Valley | Cherry production is an art and a science but in the end it’s all about the weather
KELOWNA, B.C. — Growing fruit is an art and a science for Kelowna orchardist Nick Kiran. He contemplates the weather, the bugs and the heat as he inspects big clusters of delectable cherries hanging invitingly from his trees, hoping everything comes together before harvest in mid-July. “You have to be on top of things because […] Read moreOperations resume at Cargill following High River flood
Cattle processing is underway again at Cargill Meat Solutions at High River, Alta., after operations were halted for more than a week following torrential floods. The plant started work during the weekend of July 5 after it was able to get enough fresh water, said company spokesperson Brigitte Burgoyne. Production will continue throughout the week. […] Read more
Donations pour in for flood relief
Disaster relief | Individuals and corporations rally to support flooded communities
Generosity is coming in many forms for the thousands of people displaced by catastrophic floods that swept over parts of southern Alberta last month. Athletes are donating winnings, children are holding bake sales and musicians have held impromptu concerts. Okotoks resident Jennifer Zaffino, who owns Backbone Chiropractics, is raising money with a Come Hell or […] Read moreCattle ID has proven value for consumers, producers, says agency
The introduction of mandatory cattle identification 15 years ago led to stormy protests about another program that would cost producers money with no discernible payback. Producers were told the tags with individual identification numbers would carry confidential information required only for animal disease control and emergency trace back. The unique identifying numbers are now seen […] Read more
Holstein nets $265,000 at Alberta sale
COCHRANE, Alta. — A young dairy heifer born last fall has sold for $265,000 at the Rocky Mountain Holstein sale today. Jim Stanton of Ilderton, Ont., liked this young female named Rockymountain Uno Cheyanne so much he bought her full sister, Rockymountain Uno Clarisa for $95,000. Live cattle, embryos and a charity lot were on […] Read more
Groups challenge U.S. COOL ruling
Eight organizations representing the American and Canadian pork and beef industries have filed a lawsuit against the mandatory country of origin labeling rule in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The groups want the May 23 regulation found invalid and the prior rule reinstated, said legal counsel, Catherine Stetson in a […] Read more
Operations resume at Cargill following High River flood
Cattle processing is underway again at Cargill Meat Solutions at High River, Alta after operations were halted for more than a week following torrential floods. The plant started work during the weekend of July 5 after it was able to get enough fresh water, said company spokesperson Brigitte Burgoyne. Production will continue throughout the week. […] Read more
Alta. man charged over cattle sale
A southern Alberta man has been charged with fraud and theft following an RCMP investigation. The charges stem from allegations that Jeffrey Robert McNain of Stavely defrauded Unifeed Ltd. of nearly $1 million between November 2006 and December 2007, said an RCMP news release. It is alleged that McNain sold cattle that Unifeed had financed […] Read more
