CAROLINE, Alta. – A 25 percent home energy saving is possible with a good stand of trees around a farmyard. Besides creating a warmer microclimate in the farmyard, a dense shelterbelt can also slow wind speeds of 45 km-h down to seven km-h, said PFRA agro-forester Don George. He was speaking at a Calgary meeting […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Grow starchy wheat, Husky tells farmers
BANFF, Alta. – Grow it and they will buy it. That is the advice to prairie farmers from Husky Energy, Canada’s largest ethanol producer and a major wheat buyer. _____ Correction _____ A story on page 30 of the April 19 issue suggested there are Canadian Wheat Board rules that restrict Husky Energy’s ability to […] Read more
Company shares recruitment plan
CROSSFIELD, Alta. – An Alberta lumber company has found an innovative solution to its labour problem and thinks its approach could work for those seeking help on the farm. Named one of Canada’s 50 best managed companies, Palliser prides itself on offering competitive wages, staff training, family holidays to the tropics and on-site medical care. […] Read more
Study aims to crack CWD, BSE mysteries
Researchers artificially infecting elk and cattle with fatal brain wasting diseases hope the experiments solve long-standing mysteries associated with chronic wasting disease and BSE. “We know a lot and we don’t know a lot, which is surprising and very different compared to other diseases,” said scientist Stephanie Czub, who heads the prion, pathology and virology […] Read more
Overcapacity plagues packers
The struggle to find workers is costing the Canadian beef packing industry $1.5 billion a year in lost revenue, experts say. The greatest losses are in Alberta because most of the processing occurs in that province, where the economy is booming and labour shortage woes have become commonplace. Added to the labour shortage are problems […] Read more
U.S. putting horses off limits as human food
Horses destined for slaughter are not likely to be rerouted to Canada now that a federal appeals court ruling in the United States has effectively halted the practice of turning horses into human food. Les Burwash of Alberta Agriculture’s horse industry branch said legislation before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that mirrors the […] Read more
City people want animals treated fairly
RED DEER – As more people move away from the farm a cultural confusion has developed over the role of animals as pets or meat. The divide may continue to widen as urbanites look at animal welfare as an ethical question while agriculture continues to credit science with the advances made in livestock care. “We […] Read more
Food focus leans toward health benefits
Thirty years ago sugar was targeted as a threat to human health, but the issue faded away when jelly bean-loving president Ronald Reagan took office. A U.S. nutritionist who worked with Hershey’s for 30 years says the zeal to list all the bad ingredients in ordinary food is now being replaced by a healthier approach […] Read more
Functional food caught in red tape
The Canadian regulatory system is keeping functional foods off store shelves, says a University of Guelph professor. David Sparling told an international food conference in Calgary March 22 that Canada is falling behind other nations when it comes to functional food. These countries allow a variety of beneficial foods and health products, but only five […] Read more
Land’s fate haunts leaseholders
TABER, Alta. – A 70-year-old problem is haunting southern Alberta ranchers who depend on grazing leases. Dwight Tolton farms between Vauxhall and Taber and has held a 2,000 acre grazing lease since 1975 in the Municipal District of Taber. His lease was with the provincial government because it was designated, along with many other rental […] Read more
