CROSSFIELD, Alta. — A wide-ranging survey of cow-calf operations has been launched in Western Canada. No study of this kind has been conducted since 1999, and that one was available only in Alberta. Government, researchers and producers groups agreed it was time to find out what is happening on beef operations across the four western […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Campaign urges local shopping
Small local businesses take the biggest hit as more consumers shop online or travel to the United States for deals. A new online campaign called Shop the Neighbourhood from the Yellow Pages company offers free digital advertising space and mobile marketing to encourage shoppers to support local, small businesses. The target shopping day is Nov. […] Read more
B.C. group launches court challenges against Peace area dam
A group of British Columbia landowners has filed a petition for a judicial review that could ultimately stop a major dam project on the Peace River. The Peace Valley Landowner Association want the B.C. Supreme Court to halt a provincial environmental certificate and next week plan to file another suit to quash the federal certificate. […] Read more
Alberta announces new rural strategy
Alberta feeder associations can expect more access to financing as part of a larger rural economic development plan announced Oct. 28 by premier Jim Prentice. “This will allow them to take advantage of the strong prices we have in the feeder cattle markets,” he said. The feeder association loan guarantee program doubles the maximum individual […] Read more
New campaign promotes local shopping
Small local businesses take the biggest hit as more consumers shop online or travel to the United States for deals. A new online campaign called Shop the Neighbourhood from the Yellow Pages company offers free digital advertising space and mobile marketing to encourage shoppers to support local, small businesses. The target shopping day is Nov. […] Read more
Camera used for inside view
Endoscope | Device can help vets see all the way into the animal’s stomach
It is impossible for a horse with throat problems to open wide and say aaah. Instead, a veterinarian can use an endoscope to see inside and do a more accurate diagnosis. Also used in human medicine, the endoscope has a long, small flexible tube with a light and camera attached to the end. By manipulating […] Read more
Sensors pinpoint location, severity of leg pain
Lameness is one of the most common health concerns in horses, but new technology that connects animals to a computer may identify problems sooner. Veterinarians have typically conducted a clinical form of evaluation to assess lameness, but some forms can be quite subtle, said Heidi Banse, an associate professor at the University of Calgary’s veterinary […] Read more
Stampede ranch promotes conservation
OH Ranch | Calgary Stampede offers educational opportunities at a 130-year-old ranch protected by an easement
LONGVIEW, Alta. — The unbroken landscape of the OH Ranch reaches from rolling grasslands to foothills to blue mountains. It’s a typical landscape in the Alberta foothills, and one that the Calgary Stampede promised to maintain when it was given the 8,000 acre 130-year-old ranch two years ago. Calgary businessperson Doc Seaman bought the working […] Read more
Love of land, livestock lures kids back
Children put education to work | Mechanic, animal health technician and law student all keen on keeping farm in the family
CROSSFIELD, Alta. — Darcey and Leisa Gallelli are third generation farmers living through an agricultural revolution. Their three adult children are as adept with computers as they are working cattle or farming the land. Even though the children have off-farm jobs, they have made it clear they are coming back. That commitment to agriculture was […] Read moreExperts eager to find sources of pathogens
Food, animals and water National surveillance programs collect data on illnesses and test food in grocery stores
TORONTO — Nasty food poisoning bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli are under surveillance. “Food- and water-borne illness are complex and there are lots of ways you can get them, and they require multiple surveillance approaches,” said Lisa Landry, director of enteric surveillance at the Public Health Agency of Canada. “We are trying to […] Read more
