A $750,000 grant from Alberta Agriculture will fund a recycling program for agricultural plastics in the province. The three-year program will be coordinated by Alberta Beef Producers on behalf of the Agricultural Plastics Recycling group, which comprises 20 commodity associations, rural municipalities and retailers. In a news release issued Jan. 21, Alberta Agriculture said the […] Read more
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Wind energy projects funded in Alberta
Five new Alberta wind-generated energy projects have $1.2 billion behind them, earmarked by the provincial government and announced Dec. 17. The projects include: • A 207-megawatt project southwest of Fort Macleod, called Windrise, involving TransAlta Corp. • A 202-megawatt project near Medicine Hat, called Cypress Wind Power, involving EDF Renewables Canada in partnership with Kainai […] Read more
Alberta funds disaster mitigation projects
The federal government has earmarked $8.7 million to help Alberta communities mitigate disasters such as flooding and drought resilience. In a news release issued by the Alberta government Dec. 17, funds were announced through the National Disaster Mitigation Program and will be used for 18 projects. Some of them are new initiatives and others replace […] Read more
Weed expert receives soil conservation award
The go-to guy for questions about weed management is the 2018 recipient of the Orville Yanke award. Bob Blackshaw, the recently retired senior researcher at Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, was presented with the award Dec. 13 at the Farming Smarter conference in Lethbridge. Blackshaw has published more than 250 research papers in his career, focusing […] Read more
Farms exempt from new Alta. minimum employment age
Alberta will raise the minimum employment age to 13 years old, effective Jan. 1, but young people employed on farms will not be affected. In a news release issued today, the government said the change “will help ensure youth are protected and align the province more closely with international standards.” The new rules will not […] Read more
Salad mixes recalled
A kale salad mix is the subject of a food recall due to potential contamination with listeria. The Eat Smart brand of Salad Shake Ups- Sweet Kale, in the 156 gram package, was distributed nationally and is being recalled. Affected packages have best before dates of Dec. 3. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Dec. […] Read more
Wool sales up for co-op
The Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers saw a 2.5 percent increase in gross wool sales in the last fiscal year, selling almost $10.4 million worth of product. In a news release issued after its Oct. 18-20 annual meeting, it said there was net income of $425,599 from all business operations. “Difficult wool marketing conditions for broader […] Read more
Alberta’s Ag Hall of Fame inducts new members
The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame has three new inductees: agribusiness leader Garnet Altwasser, plant pathologist Ronald Howard and horticulture specialist Dietrich Kuhlmann. The three men were inducted Oct. 26 in a ceremony at Leduc. Altwasser is well known in the cattle industry, having served for 30 years as president and chief executive officer of […] Read more
Chicken product recall investigated
Twenty-five cases of salmonella illness in Canadians are under investigation as of Oct. 26 in connection with consumption of raw, uncooked chicken products, as confirmed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Two people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported in connection with the recent outbreak of the illness. Frozen raw breaded […] Read more
Alberta minimum wage rises to $15 per hour
as of Oct. 1, 2018:
Alberta’s minimum wage rose to $15 per hour Oct. 1, an increase of $1.40 per hour, making it the highest of any province or territory in Canada. Saskatchewan and Manitoba also raised their minimums Oct. 1 to $11.06 and $11.35 respectively. Raising the minimum wage until it reached $15 was part of Alberta Premier Rachel […] Read more
