For its promoters, dreams of a dramatic expansion in the prairie hog industry come complete with fantasies about money in the bank. For increasing numbers of prairie people who may end up living downwind from one of those pig barns or packing plants, it sounds more like a nightmare of water contamination and some not-so-sweet […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Livestock dilemma: Does Success have to Smell?
PICTURE BUTTE, Alta. – At first glance, this area is a vision of tidy, prosperous looking farms surrounded by green fields of alfalfa. But soon, the smell of pungent manure from intensive livestock operations surrounding this southern Alberta community mars the pastoral vision. The smell of manure is so overpowering that some locals don’t care […] Read more
Present concerns before it’s too late
Local governments are front- line soldiers in the battle to regulate the expanding livestock industry, and a senior municipal official in Alberta has some advice. Municipalities should understand the issue and have clear rules, says Roelof Heinen, president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties. Bylaws should state exactly how manure must be […] Read more
Odor control an ongoing goal
Livestock producers used to tell their city cousins that manure doesn’t stink. It smells like money. For many people, that smell is no longer a joking matter. Rural and urban people have joined forces demanding strict environmental controls on manure storage and spreading so they don’t get a whiff of it every time they step […] Read more
Problems arise when city meets country
In British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, the expansion of manure-producing hog operations is not the main problem at the root of the waste management controversy. The problem is the sprawl of human settlement. When ritzy country homes are built beside farm fences, conflicts are inevitable, said Margaret Crowley, director of policy development with the B.C. Federation […] Read more
Farm groups put heads together
A weekend together in Seattle showed Canadian and American farmers they have more in common than they think. Farmer representatives of national wheat and barley organizations had a chance for the first time to discuss trade irritants, transportation problems and research during the Pacific North West Economic Region conference held June 14. This is a […] Read more
Low input/organic systems are studied
LETHBRIDGE, Alta – With more than 2,000 acres of land in organic grain production, Wayne Smith recognizes the value of long-term sustainable agriculture research. The Vulcan farmer is part of a committee of 20 producers advising 16 scientists at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre in a comparison study of low input agriculture and organic farming. […] Read more
Alta. irrigation law under review
Alberta’s irrigation act will be reviewed this summer. The 30-year-old act is responsible for the administration of the province’s 13 irrigation districts. Irrigation has brought a bloom to the southern portion of the province where 1.2 million acres receive water for farms, industrial use and homes. The irrigation system covers territory from Calgary to Cardston […] Read more
Taiwan pork processing firm moves into southern Alberta
A five-week courtship wooed a Taiwanese pork processor to southern Alberta. The deal between the City of Lethbridge and Yuan Yi Agricultural and Livestock Enterprise Co. Ltd., announced last week, promises the kind of value-added processing the Alberta government has promoted for years. “The three western provinces have been wining and dining the Taiwanese for […] Read more
Market information services bloom
As government gets out of the market analysis business, private companies are hanging out shingles for services that go beyond weekly market reports. The latest of these information services is ProMarket Communications in Calgary. John Dale and Errol Anderson, formerly of Palliser Commodities, started the company that provides a synopsis as well as interpretation of […] Read more
