OLDS, Alta. – When Hidzer Sietzema strolls over to the pasture to see his new Friesian horses, they immediately search his jacket for treats and offer friendly greetings. Sturdy, intelligent horses with long, flowing manes and tails, these five yearlings have been on Sietzema’s Olds farm for only a month. They are the same type […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Action gets hot and steamy as farriers face off
OLDS, Alta. – Beads of sweat drip off Art Gallais’s nose. His face is flushed from the heat rising off red hot steel. His mouth is dry and his hands feel the ring of the hammer. The Olds College farrier instructor has just spent 90 minutes heating, pounding and bending a piece of iron into […] Read more
Agriculture Notes
New head for growers TABER, Alta. (Special) – Ian Wood of Taber, Alta., was named by acclamation as chair of the Alberta Vegetable Growers (Processing). He succeeds Rudy Gregus of Taber, who did not seek re-election but will sit on the board of directors for his district. Gregus was elected vice-chair. George Friesen was elected […] Read more
Alternate-day cattle feeding reduces feed costs
HIGH RIVER, Alta. – Feeding cows every other day may offer farmers a way to save money while reducing the amount of wasted hay. Research programs in Alberta show such a system is feasible for cow herds. The feeding trials conducted by Alberta Agriculture, as well as an ongoing project at the western forage centre […] Read more
Producer considers on-farm trial a success
HIGH RIVER, Alta. – By feeding his cows every other day, Dave Thevenaz expected his workload to be cut in half. “I was hoping to have half as much work but it was really about a third,” said the producer from Bentley, Alta. “The true labor savings didn’t show up as much as they would […] Read more
Farmers mourn loss of plant, jobs
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. (Special) – Long-time Picture Butte farmer Walter Boras was almost too angry to talk March 20 after Yuan Yi announced it was leaving Lethbridge. “It’s really true we are losing the hog plant,” said Boras. “We lost the (waxy) barley plant. We’ve lost a lot of industry in this agricultural-based community. “And people […] Read more
Plant opponents not celebrating pullout
Opponents of a hog processing plant in Lethbridge are relieved the Taiwanese company has pulled out of their community. Yuan Yi Agricultural and Livestock Enterprises Co. Ltd. announced March 20 that mounting environmental pressures and delays due to further hearings were enough to make it decide to build elsewhere. Local environmental groups were demanding further […] Read more
Beef producers get export boost
Trade is up across the board for Canadian producers with more beef sold to the Pacific Rim, United States and other customers. The Canada Beef Export Federation reported that beef and veal exports to Asia and Mexico increased by 36 percent in 1997; a year when many countries encountered declining sales due to food safety […] Read more
Sask. Liberals pressure feds to halt line abandonment
The Saskatchewan arm of the federal Liberal party is coming to Ottawa this week to try to convince their government that rail deregulation is going too far too fast. A resolution from a Regina-area Liberal riding association to the March 19-22 national Liberal Party convention, adopted by the Saskatchewan Liberal Association as a priority resolution, […] Read more
Weather forecast: dry, drier
Very dry sums up moisture conditions in Alberta where snow cover has been almost non-existent in an El Nino controlled winter. “A good wet April could go a long way toward putting us back to normal,” said Al Howard, soil moisture specialist for Alberta Agriculture. Soil conditions this spring depend on how farmers managed the […] Read more
