LEXINGTON, Kentucky — Agriculture employers know hiring, training and retaining workers is an ongoing challenge. Jobless rates are going down and that increases the staffing problem. Surveys from AgCareers show more than 70 percent of the sector struggles to find suitable staff. AgCareers offers human resources services to the agriculture and food industries with offices […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Livestock to help with fire suppression
Initiative would see cattle graze areas with a lot of fine particles and grasses, which pose a high risk for wildfires
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — The British Columbia government is providing $500,000 to the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association to develop an initiative that uses grazing livestock as a part of a larger fire suppression plan. The money comes from the ministry of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development but cross section co-operation from ranchers, First […] Read more
Dairy farm branches out to make ends meet
WALTON, Kentucky—Eddie Gibson is unsure how many generations of his family has farmed at Walton, Ky, but he fears he may be the last. He and his wife, Marcy, own Ed-Mar Dairy where they milk fewer than 60 cows on 130 acres of land. Even with diversification into cheese making and agri-tourism small farms like […] Read more
Addressing food waste means more plastic
Better packaging to extend shelf life creates dilemma as non-biodegradable material ends up in landfills, oceans
LEXINGTON, Kentucky — The food business is caught in a Catch-22 situation. The public wants to control food waste and one way to do that is with better packaging to preserve freshness and prevent spoilage. On the downside, better packaging often means plastic but more people are concerned about the amount of plastic being thrown […] Read more
Poverty can lead to obesity, poor diet
LEXINGTON, Kentucky − Poverty can be linked to starvation and obesity. The two conditions may seem incongruous but it is not uncommon to see obese people who are also malnourished because they are not eating nutritious food, said dietician Nikki Putnam Badding at the international Alltech conference held in Lexington, KY, May 19-21. “Poverty is […] Read more
New attempt to build beef processing plant in B.C.
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.—There have been past attempts to build a beef processing plant in British Columbia and many tales of failure. The latest strategy to develop a B.C. beef program may have a chance of success as past missteps are analyzed in a long-term planning strategy. There is strong producer interest but significant caution as […] Read more
Western Feedlots gets new owners
One of Canada’s largest feeding operations has a new owner. The Price family of Acme, Alta., has purchased Western Feedlots at High River, Alta., which shut down in 2016. Work is underway to renovate the 35,000 head facility, which will be renamed Rimrock Feeders, said Doug Price. The name comes from the original ranch owned […] Read more
Researchers closer to chronic wasting disease vaccine
Chronic wasting disease is spreading among wild deer and elk but researchers are hopeful a vaccine could be developed to control the fatal condition. Scientists at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine published results on a possible vaccine that was tested on modified mice to prolong the time before infected animals developed the […] Read more
Holstein farm extends to fifth generation
The Alberta farm had to be cleared of bush and rocks when it was homesteaded, and this clearing effort has never stopped
ATHABASCA, Alta. — Skycrest Holsteins is tucked away in north-central Alberta but has built a strong reputation across the country. The farm is owned by Rob and Sue Crest and their adult children, Chad and Katelyn, and they can sometimes be found showing their elite Holsteins in Alberta and as far away as the Royal […] Read more
Live calves called name of the game
An ideal cow produces a live calf every year but a number of factors can affect that success. “It takes approximately three to five calves in order for a cow to recoup her costs of heifer development so we recognize the importance of longevity when it comes to keeping these animals and determining which heifers […] Read more
