Producers feel there’s a huge demand and not enough supply, considering Canada produces only half of what it consumes
PONOKA, Alta. — It’s busy at East Valley Ranch — and loud. The collective“baa, baa, baa” of well over 1,000 sheep and lambs bleating together under one roof is surprisingly loud as ewes ensure their lambs stay close and lambs in turn want to feed or confirm the whereabouts of mom. Ben Rodenburg processes three-day-old […] Read moreStories by Maria Johnson
Livestock operation believes in the benefits of diversification
PONOKA, Alta. — Mark Stewart recalls the most memorable teaching moment he received at Olds College in 1987. “They said to diversify,” he said. Not only did he take that advice to heart, but he and his wife, Tina, who own MSW Farms at Ponoka, have taken it to another level. Tina was raised on […] Read more
Third generation continues legacy on Alta. farm
LACOMBE, Alta. — Zuidhof Feeders sprawls over the rise of a hill in the rolling parkland of central Alberta. Its towering feed mill can be seen for miles. Pens of feeder cattle are squared off over the hillside. Hundreds of bales are stacked in rows nearby. Adjacent to the farm site, cattle dot the landscape. […] Read more
Alberta farm loses 300 goats in barn fire
CLIVE, Alta. — Meindert and Johanna Dijkstra were nearing home around 10:30 p.m. Feb. 4 after being out for the evening. As the couple got closer to their farm, set in the hills a few kilometres southeast of Clive, they wondered at the orange glow in the night sky. Upon turning south at their range […] Read more
College students treated to local fare
CAMROSE, Alta. — It’s lunch time at the cafeteria at the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus in Camrose. Students are lining up, chatting and laughing, awaiting their turn. The main course menu items today are spicy sausages, tender baby potatoes, and creamy dilled carrots, all locally sourced. A homemade bun rounds out the main course. […] Read more
Benalto’s ‘mini-mall’ provides gathering place
This Alta. general store comprises a convenience store, post office, ATB branch, hair salon and courier depot
BENALTO, Alta. — Some things about the traditions of a community general store never change. “We’re a meeting place, a gathering place,” says Karen Turner-Padley, referring to the Benalto General Store. She adds that some people jokingly refer to it as the mini-mall of Benalto, and for good reason. All together under one roof in […] Read more
Couple finds ways to remain on the farm
The Warwaruks raise chickens and gather eggs for sale and market their hand-woven items at farmers markets and trade shows
NEVIS, Alta. — Corwyn and Nancy Warwaruk may have one of the smaller farms in central Alberta but they are finding unique ways to make a living and raise their two young children. The Warwaruks’ hilly three-acre farm houses several dozen goats, 100 chickens, an alpaca, a horse, and Rosa, the dog. Corwyn and Nancy […] Read more
Boots made for walkin’ are worth fixin’
PONOKA, Alta. — Vance La Bine was determined to earn a respectable living at a business many might consider to be gasping its dying breaths. He decided this central Alberta community was the perfect place to accomplish it. With a plethora of cheap, easily replaceable shoes on the market, shoe repair isn’t often what comes […] Read more
Family uses free-range thinking to diversify
DELBURNE, Alta. — Klein Farm, situated in the rolling parkland of central Alberta, keeps its eggs in several baskets. The farm includes a free-range poultry operation numbering 300 turkeys and 2,000 chickens, a 20-acre orchard planted with rows of black currants, saskatoons and chokecherries, and 900-plus acres of commercial grain: wheat, malting barley and canola. […] Read more
Alberta foodies satisfied with being small and local
GULL LAKE, Alta. — The conversation is easy and relaxed like friends catching up. Laura Siebenga chats with a longtime customer who stops for eggs at Small Circle Foods and Retail, the store located on her and husband Cal’s 17-acre Brown Eggs and Lamb farm. “That’s a huge part of what this store is,” says […] Read more
