The pennies, dimes and nickels tossed into jars at Women’s Institute meetings around the world don’t seem like much, but together the coins add up to big change. The Pennies for Friendship march held at each WI meeting, where members toss their spare change into a container, funds the Associated Country Women of the World, […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Funding at ABP ‘tenuous’
Group shows budget deficit | Declining checkoffs put Alberta Beef Producers in the red
EDMONTON — A dwindling cow herd and a refundable checkoff have created a dire financial situation for Alberta Beef Producers, once the envy of farm groups across the country. For the first time in history, the provincial cattle organization has not been able to pay its share to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and it was […] Read more
Small town suds soak up praise, out-of-town traffic
Ribstone Creek Brewery | Craft brewery energizes local economy in Edgerton, Alta.
EDGERTON, Alta. — Edgerton isn’t on everyone’s driving destination yet, but at least 150 pins are stuck into a map indicating the home towns of visitors who stopped at the brewery. The original owners of Ribstone Creek Brewery didn’t set out to make the brewery into one of their village’s tourist destinations, but it has […] Read moreElk industry shows signs of life despite loss of important market
KITSCOTY, Alta. — Frank McAllister doesn’t think the elk business will ever return to its halcyon days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, he insists it is still a good industry, despite the rough patches. Elk Valley Ranches sells trophy elk to farms in the United States and Sask-atchewan, harvests antler velvet, raises […] Read more
Scout early, often for flea beetles
Canola farmers need to keep a close eye on flea beetles but shouldn’t spray at the first sign of damage, says an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. Greg Sekulic said he has seen flea beetle damage in Alberta’s Peace River area canola fields but nothing more than normal. Seeing edges chewed off new […] Read more
Morinville Colony claims Alta. egg producer crown
Farm of the year | Colony has perfect record with 20,000 hens
MORINVILLE, Alta. — The egg farm of the year award is like winning the Stanley Cup, said the manager of the Morinville Colony egg barn. “It’s a real achievement. You feel like you’ve really accomplished something,” said Paul Wurz, during a tour of the colony’s 20,000 hen laying barn. The Morinville Colony was awarded the […] Read more4-H steer fetches jaw-dropping price
Calf sells for $81,960 | Sale generates discussion and provides support for charities
The sale of a 4-H steer at a northern Alberta sale for $60 per pound still has livestock producers and 4-H members talking days after the event. Troy Lorenson of TLL Oilfield Consulting of Edmonton paid $81,960 for the 1,366 lb. steer owned by junior 4-H member Ashlynn Trefenanko, 10, at the St. Paul and […] Read moreLamb carcass grading system sought
Beef producers who send their animals to slaughter can be confident that third party graders are following strict guidelines and will grade the carcass accurately. The carcass information can be sent back to the feedlot operator or producer to analyze and make changes. Not so with sheep. There is no single standard way to measure […] Read more
Alberta Beef Producers struggle with budget shortfall
EDMONTON — A dwindling cow herd and a refundable checkoff have created a dire financial situation for Alberta Beef Producers, once the envy of farm groups across the country. For the first time in history, the provincial cattle organization has not been able to pay for its share to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the national […] Read more
4-H steer sells for nearly $82,000
The sorrow of selling a 4-H steer at a northern Alberta sale was eased by the $60 per pound price paid for the calf. Troy Lorenson of TLL Oilfield Consulting of Edmonton paid $81,960 for the 1,366-pound steer owned by junior 4-H member Ashlynn Trefanenko at the St. Paul and District Show and Sale June […] Read more
