More than 126 vendors sell their products in this village business; it is also a destination for those looking for local gifts
KITSCOTY, Alta. — Prairie crafters have found a location to sell and showcase their homegrown, home-raised and home-made products. Angie McLean sells products for more than 126 vendors in her Farmstead Market and More store in Kitscoty. Fifty more vendors are on a waiting list and another 110 emails from potential vendors wait in her […] Read moreAuthor Archives
Tablet program saves the day during COVID
Grande Prairie Palliative Care Society loans iPads to seniors in long-term care homes to counter lockdown isolation
CAMROSE, Alta. — A program that loans iPads to people in hospice or long-term care has been a lifeline for Esther Horney. When the doors of her long-term care home slammed shut because of COVID-19, the spry 91-year-old felt isolated and was confined to her Grande Prairie long-term care facility. Through the Grande Prairie Palliative […] Read more
Farmers take gradual approach to transition
Jim and Lesley Hill and their daughter and son-in-law mapped out a five-year transition plan for passing on the family farm
SYLVAN, LAKE, Alta. — Summers of picking weeds and selling vegetables had left Jim and Lesley Hill exhausted. Their market garden was supposed to be a small retirement project. It had become a full-time job and the idea of selling the farm was attractive. Originally, they thought it might help if they stopped selling their […] Read more
Couple retired when they were ready
Howard and Susan Jackson didn’t set an age deadline for retirement; instead, they waited until all the ducks fell in a row
MANNVILLE, Alta. — After 40 years, Howard and Susan Jackson have turned their farm and trucking business over to two of their sons and retired. The decision didn’t happen overnight. The search for the best transition for their farm and six children began 13 years ago. “We didn’t have a specific age when we wanted […] Read more
Keeping busy called key to happy retirement
Retirement didn’t mean idleness for Marv Vassberg, who has rebuilt dozens of old vehicles since he stopped farming
BAWLF, Alta. — The key to enjoying retirement is having something to do, said Marv Vassberg. The retired farmer has spent thousands of hours rebuilding old cars, trucks and tractors, and designing and building blades and scrapers. Years of tinkering and time in the air force, as an electronics technician, gave him the skills to […] Read more
Alberta farmer turns ag plastic into fence posts
It took 2 1/2 years to build a recycling machine out of old oilfield pipe, an anhydrous ammonia tank, a straw chopper and parts of a swather
VERMILION, Alta. — It took farmer, inventor and recycler Danny Farkash about 2 1/2 years to figure out how to build a machine that turns used agricultural plastic into fence posts. Using old oilfield pipe, an anhydrous ammonia tank, a straw chopper, parts of a swather and other bits and pieces, Farkash built a machine […] Read more
Finding ways to head south
Many retired Canadians are staying at home this year, but some have figured out how to make the trip work for them
CAMROSE, Alta. — Despite COVID-19 and a closed border, Gord Johnsen still flew to Arizona for the winter without the rest of the Canadian snowbirds. The warm weather beckoned, but close friends in the community of Gilbert, Arizona, are the real draw. “I have great friends,” said Johnsen, who has travelled to the Phoenix area […] Read more
Snowbird finds a way to head south
Many retired Canadians are staying at home this year, but some have figured out how to make the trip work for them
CAMROSE, Alta. — Despite COVID-19 and a closed border, Gord Johnsen still flew to Arizona for the winter without the rest of the Canadian snowbirds. The warm weather was a draw, but close friends in the community of Gilbert, Arizona, is the real draw. “I have great friends,” said Johnsen, who has travelled to the […] Read more
When retired farmers leave the farm
A couple rented a house in a nearby community while looking for an acreage but discovered that they like living in town
CAMROSE, Alta. — It has been four months since Don and Marie Ruzicka moved off their Killam, Alta., farm to retire in nearby Camrose and there have been no regrets. What eased the transition was finding the right buyer for their organic farm and being mentally ready to make the transition from farming to retired. […] Read more
Women also retire when couples quit the farm
Some women find more time for canasta, sewing and painting, while others tackle new projects such as canning potatoes
CAMROSE, Alta. — It’s been more than a year since Virginia Liebl moved from the farm into Camrose and the transition has been smooth. “For me, I haven’t had trouble finding new things to do,” said Liebl. On the farm, Liebl spent hours in her large flower and vegetable garden, as well as doing daily […] Read more
