LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Dwindling research funding has one animal scientist worried that sheep research will be the next casualty of government cutbacks. Kim Stanford, an Alberta Agriculture sheep researcher working at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre, has put her projects on hold until a new agreement can be negotiated by industry and government to maintain […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Charolais breeders turn cattle black
INNISFAIL, Alta. – Black calves mean black gold for some Alberta Charolais breeders. Although white Charolais are still the norm, breeders are trying to breed all shades of the palette from white to red and sometimes black. Breeding for color in a traditionally white color scheme is tricky. “Nobody knows what you’re going to get. […] Read more
Pork commercial big hit for farmers
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – All it took was a goofy amateur cook, a burning barbecue and a recipe book, and Alberta pork producers had an award-winning television commercial. Last year was the first time the Alberta Pork Producers Development Corporation took a risk and bought TV time. The results were such a success that neighbors Roy […] Read more
Alberta travels road to toughen regulations
A provincial discussion paper on livestock operations may kickstart work on standardized environmental rules that the agriculture industry says Alberta lacks. Most producer groups are still reviewing the Alberta Agriculture document on regulatory options for the industry, but say at first glance it appears to be a step in the right direction. The Alberta Cattle […] Read more
Animal labs refocus
Alberta’s animal health laboratories changed their duties April 1. The four labs in Fairview, Edmonton, Airdrie and Lethbridge quit doing post-mortems to focus on animal health surveillance, said director Cornelia Kreplin. The examination of portions of animals and fetuses was turned over to private labs in November 1996. Starting April 1, all routine post-mortems on […] Read more
Order of Canada inductee made his name in weeds
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – A decision to drop Latin in school may have changed the course of Peter Harris’s life. It was a course requirement that kept the Agriculture Canada researcher out of Oxford University and sent him to the forestry program at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver. Born in Reading, England, he returned […] Read more
Ranchers feel under siege
With bullets whizzing over the heads of livestock producers from every direction, some say they don’t know which way to run. In Alberta, codes of practice, municipal bylaws, provincial regulations and possibly federal environmental laws have left producers confused. The most contentious issue facing them is where to put their livestock manure and how people […] Read more
Purebred associations promote ‘ideal cow’
Two of Canada’s major purebred beef associations aren’t getting married but they are holding hands. The Canadian Hereford and Angus associations are promoting the benefits of crossbreeding British breeds and have gone so far as to advertise the baldy female as the ideal cow. “The baldy is an extremely efficient cow whether she is red […] Read more
Cattle ID agency starts test period
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is up and running with trial projects starting this spring to see what systems work and which ones won’t. Requests to participate in the trial have come from across Canada and include small and large herds that have as many as 5,000 cows, said Julie Stitt. Stitt is the newly […] Read more
Students learn about farm safety through games, videos
When Jeanette Smith meets a group of Grade 3 kids, she asks three questions. How many of you live on a farm? How many of you have relatives on a farm that you visit regularly? How many have learned a lesson about farm safety? The responses have shown the educator there’s a need for education […] Read more
