LETHBRIDGE – A modern farm is a multimillion-dollar enterprise that carries a heavy load of emotional and historical baggage. Passing that legacy to the next generation is one of the most challenging decisions farm families face. John Anderson, who specializes in agribusiness and farm succession with KPMG, said families must understand that succession planning is […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Plan ahead to avoid disputes
LETHBRIDGE – Some families consider a discussion about who gets the farm more inappropriate than talking politics or religion at the dinner table. Yet few older farmers have wills or succession plans, which can produce resentments that may never be repaired once the elder generation dies. “Machines can get broken and fixed, but it is […] Read more
On-farm energy generation possible
TABER, Alta. – Alberta farmers interested in producing their own electricity have a new option through a program called microgeneration. Regulations allowing the production of less than one megawatt of power went into effect Jan. 1. “This is distributed generation in your backyard,” said Rob Falconer of Enmax, one of the province’s largest energy generators […] Read more
Wind dollars hard to harness
TABER, Alta. – The wind blowing across the Prairies is free but harnessing its energy is anything but cheap. “If you are just looking at dollars and cents, it may not be the best bang for your buck,” said Tim Weis, an engineer who researches renewable energy at the Pembina Institute in Alberta. For large […] Read more
Alberta seeks energy options
TABER, Alta. – Alberta electricity producers looking for ways to wean themselves off conventional energy sources are considering switching to more wind, solar and thermal power. Among them is Medicine Hat, Alta., which provides gas and electricity to city customers. Russ Smith of the city’s utility division told an alternative energy conference in Taber March […] Read more
Phosphorus buildup in soil called burden
RED DEER – Phosphorus buildup in prairie soil is a growing problem. “Wherever there is intensive livestock operations, you will see the buildup of phosphorous is intense,” Shabtai Bittman, an environmental agronomist at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Agassiz, B.C., told the Western Dairy Seminar in Red Deer March 13. Bittman said the runoff ends […] Read more
Many do’s and don’ts for top quality silage
RED DEER – Putting up good silage starts in the field. “If you are not starting with high quality forage, all the equations won’t work,” Limin Kung, a forage specialist from Delaware University, told the Western Dairy Seminar in Red Deer March 13. “If you start with straw, no matter what you do, you’ve got […] Read more
Cattle rustling alive and well in Alberta
RED DEER – Warren Brower figures he has lost more than 100 cattle to thieves in the last five years. The rancher from Aden, Alta., who raises 500 cows near the Montana-Alberta border, is so frustrated he has asked the Western Stock Growers Association to investigate a plan to provide an insurance policy to cover […] Read more
B.C. seeks cheaper risk material disposal
Roland Baumann wants a common sense approach to disposing of specified risk materials that does not penalize him and other beef producers every time they sell an animal. Baumann, president of the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the provincial livestock tissue waste committee, said dealing with SRMs is a costly problem for […] Read more
Trainer touts fun side of agriculture
INNISFAIL, Alta. – Geoff Hoar has found the best of both worlds by turning his love of horses into a paying proposition. “When I’m checking cows in the summer time, I think, I’m getting paid to ride this horse and I’m getting paid to graze these cows; this isn’t so bad,” he said. The horse […] Read more
