CALGARY – Many Alberta farmers will likely exit GRIP this spring, but one group will fight to the bitter end to get what it claims is owing from the safety net program. Known as the Producers for Fair Insurance, more than 300 farmers have united in a court challenge against the Alberta Financial Services Corporation […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Parasite causes abortions in B.C. herds
CALGARY – A little-understood parasite is causing four to 10 abortions per month in British Columbia dairy cows. Neospora, a one-celled protozoa, was first detected in California where it caused a 10 to 20 percent abortion rate in herds. The condition showed up a few years ago in B.C. A few cases have been diagnosed […] Read more
Lowly spud subject of high tech research
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – DNA fingerprinting, genetic mapping, transgenics and bioengineering are terms that have recently worked their way into the agricultural vocabulary. These terms are often used freely among farmers, but the average person may only possess a vague understanding of what the science involves. For plant pathologist Larry Kawchuk, bioengineering has become an elegant […] Read more
Numbers up at Calgary sale; top bull gets $62,500
CALGARY – More bulls walked through the ring at the Calgary bull sale this year to achieve a better overall average than 1994. A total of 586 lots sold for more than $2.1 million to average $3,641. Calgary presents one of the longest running bull sales in Canada. American buyers successfully bid on 110 Alberta […] Read more
Satellite hookup to marketing service called a strong tool
DRUMHELLER, Alta. – Terry Johnston says he can’t live without his daily market reports from an international service he works for called Globalink. Globalink is a computer-fed marketing service based in Iowa. It carries weather reports, currency exchanges, interest rates, immediate grain, oilseed and livestock prices, market analysis, as well as world economic and political […] Read more
Test accounting software before buying: expert
DRUMHELLER, Alta. – For the one-finger typists of the world, it’s often easier to continue keeping farm books in a 10-column ledger than it is to master a computer accounting program. There is no single accounting program that will work for everyone, so users should ask a lot of questions before buying any software, said […] Read more
Violence in the home often hidden out of fear, shame
CALGARY – Women counsellors who work with dysfunctional families have learned that violence is a great equalizer. Violence is about power and doesn’t recognize gender, race, religion or income, said Naida Brotherson, director of the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. She discussed violence during the recent Beijing-Alberta women’s conference, which is preparing delegates for the September […] Read more
Producer’s chair beckons Alberta teen
CALGARY – A Sundre, Alta., teenager will be producing a farm safety commercial with the help of country music singer Charlie Major. Roxan Gawryluk will be the executive producer of a commercial that uses the song It Can’t Happen to Me, by Major, said Jacqueline Galloway, farm safety co-ordinator with Alberta Agriculture. Gawryluk’s 30-second spot […] Read more
Safety is focus of campaign
CALGARY (Staff) – Issuing a challenge to farm families to recognize the dangers of their profession is the theme for farm safety week. Farm death statistics for 1994 show an improvement over 1993, but the numbers are still grim. There were 15 deaths on Alberta farms. All were males. Four of the victims were children […] Read more
Conference designed to jog memories of U.N. members on equality promises
CALGARY – The struggle to fight for global equality, world peace and improved standards of living for women may be lost if people don’t continue to remind their governments of promises made 10 years ago. A lengthy document called Forward Looking Strategies was signed a decade ago by United Nations member states following an international […] Read more
