RED DEER, Alta. – When Cliff Derewianka finds a problem on his purebred hog farm, he doesn’t wait for somebody else to come up with a better idea. He goes to his shop and invents a solution. Derewianka is a farmer inventor from Waskatenau, Alta. who showed a number of his ideas at the Alberta […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Safeway pickets hunker down for a long one
Union leader Doug O’Halloran hopes the weather warms up in Alberta because he foresees a prolonged strike against Canada Safeway. Picket lines are holding up during this record cold spring and more support is planned as the work stoppage continues. Leaders representing the United Food and Commercial Workers in Canada and the United States are […] Read more
Stable fertilizer prices expected
Abundant moisture, profitable grain prices and adequate fertilizer supplies should get farmers off to a good start this spring. Fertilizer prices are comparable to last year but local conditions may alter availability, said Mike Chorlton of Saskferco. The biggest challenge this spring may be stalled delivery because of floods and road bans coming early in […] Read more
More to a boss than bossiness
RED DEER, Alta. – A farmer who is cow smart may be a dunce when it comes to working with employees. The ability to work equally well with people and cows challenges many farmers who expand their operations. Hiring staff is often the last consideration when expanding, yet on a labor-intensive farm like a dairy, […] Read more
Necessity sparks wire roller invention
SWALWELL, Alta. – Most inventions are born when an idea meets a necessity. On farms everywhere people come up with labor-saving devices that are simple and logical. Most farmers never take their inventions further than their own yard, but three southern Alberta men decided their project was so handy, others might want to use it […] Read more
Alberta Safeway workers vote on company’s five-year offer
Workers from Canada Safeway stores across Alberta have been on strike since March 26. Voting on a final offer from the company started March 31 for Edmonton, while Calgary employees voted April 1 and the rest voted April 2. The final offer was a five-year contract with an immediate 50 cents an hour increase and […] Read more
Swine research expects boost from new fund
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – A $2.8 million industry development fund for the Alberta pork industry should give swine research projects a financial boost. No projects have yet been approved, but possibilities include studying the environmental impacts of large hog operations in a community, said pork development chair Roger Charbonneau, at a recent district meeting here of […] Read more
Too much herbicide use big cause of resistant weeds
STRATHMORE, Alta. – Herbicide resistance in weeds is an international problem with more cases confirmed each year. Cleavers in central Alberta showed resistance to Group 1 herbicides and earlier this month, wild oats with resistance have been confirmed in southern Alberta sugar beet fields, said provincial weed specialist Linda Hall. Reports from Australia indicate a […] Read more
On the hunt for wild oats
STRATHMORE, Alta. – A three-year study searching for herbicide resistant wild oats is planned for southern Alberta. A stubborn patch of weeds that doesn’t die easily is bad news. Agronomists Jim Lazlo and Scott Meers, of Alberta Agriculture, want to know where those pests are so they can find out if they are resistant to […] Read more
Resistant weeds choke profits
STRATHMORE, Alta. – If Brian Harvey had known eight years ago what he knows today, he might have gained a head start on the intractable wild oats on his farm. “The lack of timely information got us into this problem in the first place,” he said at a recent farmer meeting here. The Manitoba farmer […] Read more
