CALGARY – The Special Places 2000 project could collapse if people fail to approve huge tracts of publicly owned grasslands for environmental protection. Chris Mills is a cattle industry representative on the stakeholders committee which oversees selection of Special Places, an Alberta program to set aside public lands for protection. Mills gave a detailed explanation […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Alberta defends NISA withdrawal
CALGARY – Alberta is defending its decision to end its participation in the Net Income Stabilization Account next year. However, some delegates at the annual Alberta Wheat Pool meeting in Calgary told Walter Paszkowski, the province’s agriculture minister, they are not pleased with the decision. Rene Blanchette of Girouxville said the program had merits. “We […] Read more
Alberta promotes pork expansion, but neighbors turn up their noses
LACOMBE, Alta. – For some rural Albertans, the best place for the neighbor’s pig farm is in Saskatchewan. Despite government approved codes of practice on manure disposal, water use and distance from neighbors, some people insist a hog barn should be as far away from them as possible, said agricultural engineer Rich Smith. That attitude […] Read more
World could be fed with efficient land use
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Irrigating alfalfa crops to feed cattle is not an economical way to produce protein for people. The associate dean of Utah State University told a group of Alberta irrigation farmers their mainstay forage crops are costly when compared to alternatives like legumes and grains. “Water use on alfalfa is a very inefficient […] Read more
Big market waiting to be filled, Alberta pork producers told
LACOMBE, Alta. – When people throughout the world have a choice of meat, nearly half of them choose to put pork on their forks. Consultant Don Hoover, of Serecon Management, told about 100 farmers, bankers and agricultural extension staff in this central Alberta town that the world is ready for even more pork and a […] Read more
Low prices are past; expand herds now, analyst advises
CALGARY – While many North American cattle producers are struggling to climb out of the trough of low prices, one analyst said it’s time to expand. Randy Blach of Cattlefax said there is a bull market ahead as the cattle cycle dips out of the doldrums and starts its upward climb. Cattlefax tracks livestock market […] Read more
Ag exports show strong in Alberta
Agricultural exports continue to dominate Alberta’s economy, posting a record $4.1 billion in international sales for 1995 compared to $3.6 billion the year before. The statistics branch for Alberta Agriculture recently released the figures which show record amounts in almost every area. When sales of agricultural products to other provinces are added to the export […] Read more
Rhea producer shares hard-to-find information
RED DEER, Alta. – Oklahoma rhea farmer Ken Hoyt delivered words on the care of rheas that few in the industry have been willing to speak aloud. He and his family own the largest rhea ranch in North America with more than 5,000 of the birds. Rather than selling or buying breeding stock, they make […] Read more
Increased efficiency goal of new cattle feed group
LACOMBE, Alta. – Forage and cattle researchers from the three western provinces are uniting to come up with more efficient ways to raise cows. The newly formed western forage/beef group is made up of federal, provincial and university researchers from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The group plans to focus on issues involving forage and […] Read more
Alberta Pool members get $3.4 million in dividends
Alberta Wheat Pool members will receive something extra in their Christmas stockings this year. Cash dividends totaling $3.4 million will be in the mail due to the new member equity plan introduced last year. This is the first time in many years farmers have received cash payouts, said pool president Alex Graham. The biggest cheque […] Read more
