Canadians won’t likely be eating genetically modified potatoes any time soon. McCain’s Foods, Canada’s largest potato processor, has decided not to accept any genetically altered product. “We have told our Canadian growers with the 2000 crop year we won’t accept any GMO potatoes,” said Scoop Fredstrom from McCain’s head office in Florenceville, N.B. This was […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Pork survey shows food safety is number one concern
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Food safety is the number one issue raised in a national study of the pork industry. “The biggest concern by a country mile was food safety,” said Paul Hodgman, manager of public affairs for Alberta Pork. The Canadian pork industry commissioned Angus Reid to survey the attitudes of 1,200 urban and rural […] Read more
Town residents save elevator
An eleventh hour fund-raising campaign has saved the last elevator left standing in High River. The southern Alberta community rallied to raise $100,000 to buy CP Rail owned land in downtown High River so they could take over the abandoned Agricore elevator. “By the end of the month we hope to own the land,” said […] Read more
Dandelions take a lickin’ but keep on kickin’
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Dandelions and foxtail barley can be the bane of a no-till farmer’s life. “Within two to three years of a direct seeding system is when people encounter a wreck with dandelions,” said crop specialist Rob Dunn of Alberta Agriculture. Only diligence can evict dandelions from a field, Dunn told a conservation tillage […] Read more
Silage must be covered
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – A good stand of alfalfa might be one of the cheapest inputs available to a farmer because of the high levels of nitrogen it leaves in the soil. Nitrogen adds value to future crops because it increases protein levels, according to long-term crop rotation studies across Western Canada. “Five years after a […] Read more
Gardener named Alta.’s royal rep
Lois Hole has been named Alberta’s 15th lieutenant-governor. She replaces Bud Olson who is stepping down due to ill health. He was installed in April 1996. Hole and her husband Ted started Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd. at St. Albert, near Edmonton. The family-run company has grown into one of the largest retail greenhouse operations […] Read more
Disaster program reforms may help more Alta. farmers
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Reforms to Alberta’s Farm Income Disaster Program should deliver more money to more farmers living through one of the worst income crises in a decade. However, the much needed cash may not appear until May, said a spokesperson for agriculture financial services, which administers the disaster program. A program rewrite is intended […] Read more
Split in hog promotion, marketing delayed
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Alberta Pork and the Western Hog Exchange want to be separate entities by Jan.1. However, divorcing the marketing arm from the promotions arm of the Alberta Pork Producers Development Corporation may take longer. The government oversees the corporation’s activities through the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council. “Council’s perspective is this is a […] Read more
Ottawa offers incentives for habitat protection
Landowners can expect compensation to cover the cost of preserving habitat for endangered species. Negotiated payments for maintaining a habitat, tax incentives or land buyouts for a lump sum are among the proposals announced for a national endangered species act. “The government may buy from a willing landowner an easement or covenant and they will […] Read more
Packers, producers at mercy of retail industry
PINCHER CREEK, Alta. – Concentration within the packing industry may be more perception than reality. “We have less beef packer concentration in Canada today than we had 15 years ago,” said Ken Weir, a former manager with XL Foods in Calgary and now a private consultant. Between Cargill Foods at High River and IBP Lakeside […] Read more
