CAROLINE, Alta. – Caroline is home to figure skating champion Kurt Browning, vast oil and gas fields and now, Ravenwood Farm Fresh Meats. Mark and Tamara Taylor’s main street shop has grown from a small space to store excess pork into a busy butcher shop and diner. Ravenwood services a village of about 500 people […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Winter pulses still risky: Alberta study
LETHBRIDGE – Growing winter peas, lentils and fababeans is still an iffy proposition in Alberta. Plots of winter and spring pulses have been planted at Lethbridge, Brooks, Lacombe and Edmonton to compare varieties and survivability. The crops survived this winter’s frigid temperatures but plots were lost in the spring, said Alberta Agriculture pulse specialist Mark […] Read more
Lack of rainfall plagues Alta. crops
LETHBRIDGE – This year’s cold, dry spring has taken a toll on Alberta crops. Most of the province has received less than half its normal April and May precipitation, which has delayed crops. Less than 30 millilitres of rain have fallen from Edmonton to Lethbridge in May. April was also colder than normal, and precipitation […] Read more
Sad farewells at 4-H on Parade
For many 4-H members, achievement day is a triumphant yet tearful event as youngsters say goodbye to the animals they have grown to love. “Livestock is so hard because you have to name it and you have to feed it and lead it around and then you have to sell it and you know it […] Read more
Alberta auctioneer wins championship
BROOKS, Alta. – Chance Martin has won the Canadian livestock auctioneer championship and is ready to take on the world. The 36-year-old auctioneer and beef producer from Red Deer won the national championship May 29 in Brooks. He has competed in the national competition every year since it started 12 years ago. There were 25 […] Read more
Winery offers organic approach
PEACHLAND, B.C. – Tilman Hainle and Sara Norman are connoisseurs of fine wine, good food and sustainable agriculture. Through their Working Horse Winery and Vineyards, the couple plans to produce about 30,000 litres a year of ice wine and other vintages made from heritage variety grapes as well as Pinot noir, Meunier and Chardonnay. Even […] Read more
B.C. producers want more flexible ALR
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – British Columbia producers must remain profitable if the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve is to continue. That is a main recommendation in a B.C. Cattlemen’s Association paper that calls for revisions to a policy created in 1974 to stop the loss of farmland. The paper, which was released May 21, has been presented […] Read more
B.C. seeks ideas to boost beef sector
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – British Columbia’s premier wants a ranching task force to meet soon to rebuild the province’s flagging beef industry, but he warned the government has little money to invest in new ideas. “We are not going to agree to everything you pass,” Gordon Campbell told the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting in Kamloops […] Read more
Beef centre carves out new niche markets
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Health scares and politics create a maze-like challenge for Beef Information Centre employees promoting Canadian beef. BIC chief executive officer Glenn Brand said country-of-origin labelling continues to stymie Canadian exports to the United States, partly because fewer packers want to deal with beef from multiple countries. “COOL is a significant threat to […] Read more
CCIA improves services
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is revamping its technical side and expanding services. “The organization and the needs of the industry started changing several years ago, but we didn’t grow or change to do it,” said executive director Kerry St. Cyr, who took over the agency last year. The changes include making […] Read more
