Quinton Eon is amazed by what some people will do to get high speed internet. He’s seen receivers hung from trees, grain elevator legs, old television antennas and giant masts mounted on houses. He’s even seen a frustrated rural resident get out the chain saw and start cutting. “We had a guy who cut down […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Coyotes keep farmers jumping
The Warner Bros. cartoon that featured the hardworking sheep dog, Sam, and the coyote, Ralph, is surprisingly realistic, says a northern Alberta shepherd. Coyotes seem to know when farmers go to bed or drive to town for parts, said Laurence Read, who lost more than 100 sheep to coyotes last year on his farm near […] Read more
Coyotes watch, learn and take charge
STETTLER, Alta. – Livestock producers with problems of coyotes killing their animals need to adopt several approaches to bring the wildlife problem under control. A combination of guard dogs, grazing techniques, poison, good fences and a gun will help control predator losses, said Doug Brennan, a predator control officer with Alberta Agriculture. “A little bit […] Read more
DNA-labelled meat tested in B.C. stores
British Columbia grocery store customers will soon have more than a label stuck on a package of meat to assure them of the beef’s origin. They will have DNA proof tracking the beef back to a specific animal. Animals from 14 farms with Prairie Heritage Beef Producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan will be DNA tested […] Read more
Diesel shortage spreads across Prairies
BASHAW, Alta. – Power to the dyed diesel pump at the UFA fuel station in Bashaw was turned off and Sharon Miller was just about to turn off the power to the clear diesel Oct. 17. Fuel stations across the Prairies were forced to put up sold-out signs when problems at three Edmonton refineries either […] Read more
Sheep producers enlarge flocks
TOFIELD, Alta. – Ryan Albers was able to be choosy about the ewes he bought at the sheep sale at Beaver Hill auction Oct. 20. With almost 2,500 head of sheep and goats for sale, Albers sat back and picked only the best ewes that came through the auction ring. He wants to buy about […] Read more
Horse buyers want quality stock only
Auction market owner Wayne Johnstone pauses before answering a question about what’s happening with the price of horses in Canada. “It doesn’t look good,” said Johnstone. What Johnstone calls “plain horses,” or the bottom end of those that go through his Moose Jaw sales ring, sell for $50 to $150. Slightly better horses will fetch […] Read more
Couple eager to satisfy appetite for lamb
BARRHEAD, Alta. – Sheep producers across the Prairies are selling their flocks and getting out of the business, but Ronald and Erna den Broeder are doing their best to buy more sheep. The couple estimates it takes 850 ewes to make a viable sheep operation. They have 900 now and plan to reach 1,250. When […] Read more
Effort made to turn annuals into perennials
Agriculture will survive only if producers grow more perennial crops, says an American leader in sustainable agriculture. Wes Jackson, president of the Land Institute in Kansas, said agriculture’s destructive habits began 10,000 years ago and continue today with the economic crutch of oil and gas. Without oil and gas, modern agriculture could not sustain itself, […] Read more
Alta. ag dept. cuts jobs
Sept. 30 was the last day of work for about 100 Alberta Agriculture staff. The provincial agriculture department’s new focus on helping producers in rural areas, plus the new meat and livestock strategy, have triggered changes in the department, said Jason Krips, assistant deputy minister of industry development and food safety. Between the end of […] Read more
