LETHBRIDGE – The newest producer owned and controlled inland grain terminal has been open for three months and its bins are nearly brimming. The Lethbridge Inland Terminal, a $23 million investment from 200 southern Alberta shareholders, is running 12 hours a day accepting mostly wheat and durum, said Norman Fodness, the terminal’s chief executive officer […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Farm families still suffer loss from BSE crisis
Farm families still feel the aftershocks of BSE five years after it was discovered in Canada. Researchers in a study at the University of Calgary community health sciences department have been talking with farmers for the last year about the social and economic reverberations of the fatal disease first found in an Alberta cow in […] Read more
Top young farmers from Quebec, B.C.
Two couples from opposite sides of the country have been selected as this year’s outstanding young farmers. Marco Couture and Lyne Groleau of St. Remi de Tingwick, Que., and David and Lisa Taylor of Courtenay, B.C., were selected from seven regional finalists at the national event held in Calgary, Nov. 21. “No one goes up […] Read more
Potato cysts continue to threaten exports
RED DEER – No potato cyst nematodes have been found in the thousands of soil samples collected from Alberta potato growers’ fields, but export restrictions persist. Dozens of Alberta potato farmers were forced to destroy their crops last fall after five cysts were discovered in two Edmonton area fields, prompting American and Mexican officials to […] Read more
Low prices blamed on packers
The rise of powerful multinational meat packers and a captive supply are two factors being blamed for the steady erosion of cattle prices for two decades. A year long study by the National Farmers Union charges that the consolidation into a few powerful packing companies in North America that also own cattle and pay farmers […] Read more
Breeders watch for Angus calf syndrome
A genetic condition that results in stillborn, deformed calves has been discovered in the Angus herd. Known as curly calf syndrome, or arthrogryposis, the condition was first reported by Angus breeders more than a year ago in the United States. It has not occurred in Canada but the situation is being monitored, said a spokesperson […] Read more
Pork industry aims for fattier cuts
LETHBRIDGE – The time has come to put fat back into pork. An Alberta program intended to create marbled pork will eventually become part of a national grading system similar to what is used to evaluate beef quality. The initiative started when an eastern retailer suggested the demand for marbled pork was growing. However, Dave […] Read more
Alta. pigs must be traceable
LETHBRIDGE – A made-in-Alberta pig identification and animal movement program is coming. Alberta Pork, a producer organization, has received $200,000 from the government to develop an identification and traceability program as part of the provincial livestock and meat strategy. The federal government has long demanded a national ID program but Alberta upped the stakes by […] Read more
Swine feeding method affects growth efficiency
RED DEER – When swine nutritionist Jim Gowans inspects a hog barn, he checks the feeders. Feed is the largest cost in pork production, ranging from 60 to 75 percent of the total input cost on a farm. Empty feeders or overflowing pans with clumped or stale feed do not make young pigs grow. Those […] Read more
Feed budget saves money
RED DEER – The rising cost of feed ingredients makes a feed budget a practical tool for hog operations. Mark Chambers of Sunterra Farms, which uses the practice to monitor costs and trends, told a swine technology workshop in Red Deer Oct. 22 that a feed budget pinpoints expenses, losses and profits. He said variable […] Read more
