CALGARY – Federal gun control legislation may be law and there aren’t any chain gangs in Alberta for now, but the province’s attorney general doesn’t intend to back off from his tough law and order stance. At the Western Stock Growers Association meeting Brian Evans was urged to commence an immediate court challenge to the […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Grazing land use, access, rights under review
CALGARY – When the first group of cattle producers united as an association in Calgary during the 1890s to defend their grazing leases, they probably never envisioned the issue would still be a hot one a century later. A court appeal will be heard this spring after the owners of the OH Ranch near Calgary […] Read more
Ranchers seek land assurances
CALGARY (Staff) – Assurances that the Special Places 2000 proposal has changed were received with skepticism by one of Alberta’s major livestock organizations. Environment minister Ty Lund told the Western Stock Growers Association that Special Places was originally intended to take in about 12 percent of Alberta’s land base. However, the proposal has been revised […] Read more
B.C. to write sweeping new agriculture policy
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A wide ranging agriculture and food policy is being written in British Columbia. In a province that provides only $70 million for agriculture from an annual $20 billion budget, setting out a mandate is a tall order. Agriculture minister Dave Zirnhelt insists the policy is more than a budget consideration. He calls […] Read more
Too much meat on market bad news for beef business
CALGARY – Usually business owners are pleased when production levels are high, but cattle producers are nervous when they see a large increase in beef supplies. Lots of beef often indicates low prices. “Someday we too will get excited when we see an increase in production,” said Cattlefax’s analyst Randy Blach. Cattlefax is a member-owned […] Read more
No-rock guarantee will bring respect for potato growers
BANFF, Alta. – When it comes to planting potatoes, there’s a four letter word every growers knows. Rocks. If Canadian seed potato producers can guarantee their seed shipments contain no rocks, hard dirt lumps or other foreign objects that jam machinery, their reputation will continue to improve among commercial growers across North America. Guaranteeing clean […] Read more
Alberta backs off on cuts
CALGARY – Alberta’s health-care system has been spared further financial amputation for next year. Health minister Shirley McClellan announced the government is backing away from cutting $53 million from the 1996-97 budgets of the 17 regional health authorities. A further $40 million will be injected into community services and home care. Half of that money […] Read more
Cattle producers pan Alberta’s safety net
CALGARY – Alberta cattle producers gave the province’s newest farm safety net program a unanimous thumbs down at last week’s Western Stock Growers’ Association meeting in Calgary. Even though agriculture minister Walter Paszkowski told them the program is a disaster program and not an income support scheme, the cattle producers wanted none of it. On […] Read more
Water sharing in Alberta may get easier
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Putting a price on water is controversial in the semi-arid region of southern Alberta where the resource is almost priceless. With a new water protection act tabled in the legislature in November, sharing the resource may become easier, if the bill contains the proper guarantees to make sure everybody gets enough in […] Read more
GRIP lawsuit still on
CALGARY – Alberta will likely end the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan by next spring, but a three-year-old legal battle over the safety net continues. Producers for Fair Insurance spokesperson Dennis Cox said the government owes as much as $100 million to farmers who made claims on frostbitten wheat downgraded to feed quality in 1992 and […] Read more
