CANMORE, Alta. – Guarding against animal and human disease should be part of a farm safety plan, says the director of animal care at the University of Alberta. Many farm families and workers do not realize two-thirds of diseases are zoonotic, which means they are capable of being shared among species including humans, said Craig […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
U.S. inventor looks north for partners
RED DEER – When Clarence Schollmeyer’s son wanted a better way to move his custom spraying unit, the aeronautical engineer-turned-farmer decided to invent something. After a week drawing up plans at the kitchen table and working in the shop, the father and son team came up with a heavy duty cradle to lift and move […] Read more
Biofuel must put cash in wallet: farmers
There is plenty of buzz about renewable energy in oil rich Alberta, but for grain producers like Doug Robertson, this next generation of fuel better have something in it for farmers. “The potential of biofuel and biodiesel will only be realized if farmers make money at it,” said the chair of the Alberta Barley Commission. […] Read more
Biofuel still overlooked as fuel option
The United States has a cheap fuel policy, but it is becoming increasingly expensive for the country to protect its energy supplies. “Our military spends a lot of time trying to protect our fuel supply,” said Don Erbach, who recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research division. Despite these concerns, Erbach told a […] Read more
Study looks at future of Alberta foothills
CLARESHOLM, Alta. – The last, best west of the Alberta foothills is feeling the heavy footprints of urbanization, recreation and energy development. A landowner-sponsored study on one possible future for the southwestern region indicates residents must think hard about how much development they are willing to tolerate. Supported by landowner groups, municipal governments, as well […] Read more
New specified risk rules pile on paperwork
RED DEER – New BSE-prevention rules to handle specified risk materials from slaughter cattle come with extra permits and instructions. Known as the enhanced feed ban, the new regulations go into effect next July to give meat plants time to make changes and find acceptable ways to dispose of SRMs, said Natalie Bragg, a senior […] Read more
U.S. could move quickly on BSE rule
The U.S. rule to allow imports of older cattle and their beef could be published by year end. “There seems to be a desire to get something published before the end of the year,” said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. When that happens, Canada will be ready to comment on Rule […] Read more
Farming practices difficult to change
In the tradition-bound world of farming, changing the way things have always been done may require a cultural shift. An Alberta study on why farmers don’t embrace food safety and environmental improvements found that they worried about the cost, a perceived lack of benefits and a poor fit for individual farms. Recommendations to improve conservation […] Read more
Growing giant bedevils rural neighbours
COCHRANE, Alta. – As the tentacles of Canada’s fastest growing city spread into the Municipal District of Rocky View, the farming community did not realize what was coming until the squeeze was almost unbearable. From the mid-1990s onward, Calgary’s geographic and economic attractions drew people from all over. Large country residences sprang up seemingly overnight, […] Read more
Red Deer county fights for land
RED DEER – The unprecedented and unplanned-for growth in many Alberta communities is overwhelming municipal planners. But rather than building more acreage communities, Calgary alderman Rick McIver thinks people should be encouraged to live in the city in an environmentally sustainable way with proper sewage treatment. One solution is to squeeze more people into an […] Read more
