An Edmonton company has recalled a frozen chicken and rice dinner it exports to the United States because it could be contaminated with bacteria. Inovata Foods recalled 1.7 tonnes of the frozen food produced Oct. 18, 2007, because it could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is a micro-organism that can cause serious or fatal […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Potato growers run out of time
Jerry Zeinstra fed his seed potatoes to the cows last week. There was nothing wrong with the 250 tonnes of potatoes, which were specially grown for farmers in Washington state, but a tiny pest the size of a pinhead discovered in two northern Alberta seed farms in October has made them almost worthless. The potatoes […] Read more
Parents must teach safety by example
DAYSLAND, Alta. – Farmers may say they work safely around farm machinery, but their children tell a different story. Debbie Kirk was shocked to hear some of the stories children shared with presenters during a farm safety day at Daysland School. “We’ve heard quite a few horror stories,” Kirk said part way through the morning’s […] Read more
Starving horses removed from farm
Officials from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seized 100 starving horses near Andrew, Alta., in one of the largest such incidents in years, said the provincial SPCA’s director of enforcement. Morris Airey said officials found 27 dead horses and also dead rabbits and chickens Feb. 26 when they seized 100 horses from […] Read more
Gov’t issues tax deferral plan
Farmers in southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan who must sell breeding livestock because of drought in 2007 will be eligible for a one-year tax deferral, says the federal government. The deferral was made after reviewing forage yield, precipitation, soil moisture and water supply data for the 2007 growing season. Thirty percent of income from net […] Read more
Culled boars, sows not worth making trip to market
John Middel recently sold a three-year-old, 625 pound Duroc cross boar. He received a cheque for $5.25. The price offered by Quintain, the Red Deer marketing company, was $6.25, less $1 for Alberta Pork’s marketing levy, for the grand total of $5.25. “It was a beautiful looking boar. He was in good shape,” said Middel, […] Read more
Alberta meat plant buys competitor
Alberta-based Carmen Creek Gourmet Meats has bought its biggest competitor, Grande Prairie Bison Co. Carmen Creek partner Dean Andres said the sale included the important European customer list and distribution network. Almost half of Carmen Creek’s bison meat is shipped fresh to Europe. “Germans are gung ho about game meat. They tend to be a […] Read more
New CWB option gets thumbs up
MUNDARE, Alta. – The popularity of the Canadian Wheat Board’s daily price contract has spurred it to develop a new contract designed to give farmers more pricing flexibility. CWB director Allen Oberg told farmers at a wheat board farmer forum that it is looking at a new tonnage contract that would allow producers to declare […] Read more
Gov’t gag order keeps CWB from touting benefits
MUNDARE, Alta. – Unless the Canadian Wheat Board steps up the campaign to promote its benefits to farmers, the voices on the open market side will win the war by default, said a farmer during a wheat board farmer forum. “The arguments are too one sided,” said Bernie Klammer of Vegreville, Alta. “The wheat board […] Read more
Elk farm survives tough decade
OPAL, Alta. – In 1986, Russell Lakusta stood on a hill overlooking the rolling hills of the Redwater River valley and told his brothers that elk would look good on the hills. Six weeks later the valley was fenced and 15 cow elk and one bull stood grazing there. Another 14 years later, after a […] Read more
