CALGARY – Blackjack pits and spinning roulette wheels are no longer the domain of Las Vegas where thousands of Canadian tourists flocked each year for some sun, fun and titillation. Now Canadians can save themselves the cost of an airline ticket to Nevada and spend their money at home in casinos that have all the […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Alberta reconsiders how to dish out profit shares
CALGARY – A public review outlining how lottery and gaming profits should be handled will be tabled in two to three months, says an Alberta government official. Changes in the way money is delivered back to the public are already under way. It’s part of a three-year business plan under the guidance of Steve West, […] Read more
Alberta hog producer wins first round of approval
PONOKA Alta. – A Ponoka hog farmer has cleared the first hurdle in his bid to build a 5,000 head feeder pig operation. However, efforts to stop the development will continue leaving Hylko and Hillie Feitsma pondering their next move. They currently have about 350 feeder hogs. The proposed piggery on 1,450 acres near Ponoka […] Read more
Cattle inject millions to economy
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Recently, a couple of Albertans overheard an American saying “Alberta is now the fifth largest feeding state in North America.” While the comment may have been worth a smile to Albertans relying on the cattle industry, a recent study proves just how important the industry is. Dave Plett of High River, president […] Read more
Researchers unite in war against white mould
CALGARY – A major fertilizer company and Agriculture Canada have formed a partnership to find a biological control for white mould disease. The disease, caused by a fungus called sclerotinia, decreases yield and quality of vegetable and oilseed crops worldwide. Cominco Fertilizer researchers and a team led by plant pathologist Henry Huang of Agriculture Canada’s […] Read more
Many in Alberta will get tax cuts
CALGARY – A new system of collecting education property taxes in Alberta has just become law. The departments of education and municipal affairs announced April 25 the basic uniform provincial rate has been set at 7.3 mills for 1995. Reductions in tax will occur in 67 percent of Alberta municipalities representing 88 percent of the […] Read more
Chewing over tough beef from May 4, 1995
It was a joke with a bite to it. An American meat packing industry executive, after wrestling for awhile with a tough Alberta steak, made a crack about the “strength” of Canadian cattle genetics. Canadian industry leaders at the table considered it no laughing matter. They know that many consumers find the beef they buy […] Read more
Quest for quality ruffles feathers
When it comes to trying to design the perfect steak, chicken is the enemy. At the very least, it is the competition. “We do have a problem with inconsistency in product and what has really hurt, is the phenomenal success of the competing animal protein products such as poultry,” Texas A and M university meat […] Read more
In the name of tenderness
An ambitious meat industry plan to make Canadian beef the best in the world is linking producers and processors with science. The challenge is a simple one. Tough, tasteless meat is a serious issue for North American beef producers because it leads to consumer resistance to the product. For an industry worried about market share, […] Read more
Hay makers should follow cows to Asia
LETHBRIDGE – As record numbers of dairy cows are exported to southeast Asia, Canadian hay producers are encouraged to follow in their footsteps. Japan has always been a prime market for Canadian forage pellets, cubes and compressed hay, but now new markets are opening in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam, said Mark Pocklington, a […] Read more
