PONOKA, Alta. – Two stallions are recovering after they were rescued Nov. 15 from what could have been an icy grave. Ponoka firefighters were called just before sunset when a farmer asked for help rescuing two horses that had fallen through the ice into a grassy slough. Ponoka fire chief Ted Dillon said the farmer, […] Read more
Stories by Brenda Kossowan
Lower hog shipping deaths linked to truck loading
RED DEER — Western Canada’s hog industry continues to work toward reducing the number of animals that are hurt or die in transport. A death rate of .17 to .2 percent during shipping may seem fairly low, said Lee Whittington, president of the Prairie Swine Centre, at the 2011 Swine Technology Workshop held last week […] Read more
Cloud seeders see record year with 128 hailstorms seeded
Cloud seeders have tackled more hailstorms over central Alberta this summer than ever in the 16 years since the project was started. A group of insurance companies formed the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society in the early 1990s to limit damage from hail claims, particularly in Red Deer and Calgary areas. They hired airplanes and […] Read more
Welcome to shearing school
With lamb prices hitting record highs and hog prices still floundering, dozens of farms across the province are building new flocks, including some who have converted empty hog barns into lambing sheds, said instructor Laurie Read. The market for lamb is good right now, with 55 kilogram animals fetching an average of $120, Read said […] Read more
Family decorates oil rig for Christmas
BLACKFALDS, Alta. – Christmas greetings now glow from the heights of central Alberta’s largest lawn ornament, complete with a shining red star. Thirty-two years have passed since Bob McMurray, founder of Twin Rock Holdings, erected a retired oil derrick next to his home above the Blindman River south of the Blackfalds turnoff. The first derrick […] Read more
Delivering the mail for 35 years in rural Alberta
BENTLEY, Alta. – A new door opened for grain grower Denis Haarstad at noon on July 30 when he wrapped up his last day delivering mail on a 150-kilometre route west of Bentley, Alta., and north of Sylvan Lake. Working three days a week, regardless of weather, strife or statutory holidays, Haarstad, 69, has missed […] Read more
Accident changes producer’s outlook
LESLIEVILLE, Alta. – A balmy winter afternoon finds Bruce Boguski standing at the grinder in his garage, sharpening hockey skates for his sons, a couple of their friends and himself. Boguski approaches the job like an artist sculpting steel, feeling the edge of the blade after each stroke to gauge the progress of his work. […] Read more
Ewes happy when naked
LESLIEVILLE, Alta. – A naked ewe is a happy ewe, which could be why the ewes at the Turuk farm don’t kick up more of a fuss when the sheep shearer comes knocking. Harvesting wool is a byproduct for lamb producers Rod and Jacquie Turuk, and they are happy if the money they receive for […] Read more
Hog official concerned about downhill spiral
EDMONTON – Alberta hog farmers are warning the provincial government that allowing their industry to collapse would have a catastrophic impact on the province. Alberta Pork chair Herman Simons told the organization’s annual general meeting in Edmonton that 77 of the 650 Canadian hog farms that have applied for federal funding to stop breeding hogs […] Read more
How to make the calculations
To measure soil moisture, you need a simple probe made by welding a 3/4 inch steel ball on one end of a 3.5 foot long 1/2 inch rod and welding a handle on the other end. Mark the rod every six inches. Push the probe into the ground in a single motion. It will stop […] Read more
