EDMONTON — A DNA sequence is like a script describing what an animal might become. How it actually turns out is dependent on its environment. Sequencing of the bovine genome and subsequent research is revealing new ways to find more efficient, productive cattle. One of the more practical traits is selecting those that eat less […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Georgia auctioneer named world champ at Stampede
A fast talker from Georgia is this year’s international champion auctioneer. Tim Yoder chanted his way through two days of competition at the Calgary Stampede and is going home with a cheque for $10,000 and a berth at the world championship held next year at Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from auctioneer school in 2013 and […] Read more
Selling flowers in Alberta
Sarah Adams is a businessperson who doesn’t mind getting dirt under her fingernails. She farms about five acres near Vulcan, Alta., where she grows cut flowers for artisan bouquets. After a short time in the business, she has launched the Alberta Growers Flower Market at a venue just south of Calgary. The idea for a […] Read more
Door opened for foreign ag workers
Federal pilot project is intended to fill hundreds of job vacancies of all skill levels in the sector
The federal government has announced a three-year Agri-Food Immigration Pilot to open 2,750 spots per year for foreign agriculture workers. The goal is to fill hundreds of job vacancies of all skill levels, Ahmed Hussen, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, said July 11. “We need to focus on meat processing and mushroom production as […] Read more
Alta. woman wins Stampede poster contest
Rebecca Shuttleworth said she wanted her competition entry of a woman and a horse to salute women in agriculture
For fifth generation rancher Rebecca Shuttleworth, winning the Stampede poster competition was the honour of a lifetime for a young artist. Combining her love of western art and life on the ranch, she answered the call for the first Stampede poster competition, which received submissions from more than 100 young people. Her winning entry of […] Read more
Antique tractors pull their weight at Stampede
Machinery in the pulling competition must be restored to the same level of performance as when they were built
Part of the fun in rebuilding a vintage tractor is when the motors are turned over to see what kind of power these antiques really possess. Each year, the Calgary Stampede invites vintage tractor owners to test the metal in a pulling competition in six weight classes. For Carbon, Alta., area farmer Allen Hazenberg, switching […] Read more
New villains appear on Alberta’s most-wanted weed list
LACOMBE, Alta. — Carpets of chickweed and clumps of canola are among the top weeds showing up in Alberta fields. The 2017 weed survey conducted in cultivated fields in Alberta showed weed densities in 2010 and 2017 were the lowest recorded. Chickweed was ranked No. 1 on a list of 25 weeds for the first […] Read more
Monitor combine to control canola volunteers
The war on these plants starts by reducing harvest losses and then taking steps to exterminate the ones that get away
LACOMBE, Alta. — Volunteer canola plants rear their little, yellow heads every year. The unwanted plants trace back to seed losses at harvest time. Once they hit the ground they can persist for at least four years, said researcher Rob Gulden of the University of Manitoba. “A lot of the research goes back to understanding […] Read more
Youth shine at Summer Synergy
The Calgary Stampede and its partner Summer Synergy at Olds, Alta., have become the livestock nexus for high achieving young people to compete and vie for more than $74,000 in scholarships. In addition, the junior steer classic on the last day of the Stampede has grown into a rich show where teenagers face off for […] Read more
Stampede bulls double as research subjects
The animals’ behaviour is observed to assess stress levels and possible handling improvements that could be made
A team of University of Calgary researchers is attempting to learn how rodeo performances affect horses and bulls bred to buck. A partnership between the university’s faculty of veterinary medicine and the Calgary Stampede allows a research team to spend each day of the rodeo observing bucking bulls to assess stress levels, humane handling and […] Read more
