Milt and Tash Olfert leave the dairy business and start two new ventures: one in the air and the other in the brewery
Two years ago, Milt and Tash Olfert decided to sell their dairy cows and quota and leave the dairy business. The southern Manitoba couple ran a dairy until their two children were in their 20s and could decide whether they wanted a farming career. “We could tell when they were in high school the interest […] Read moreStories by Mary MacArthur
Feedlot transition takes many steps
Family hopes to make process smoother by using a business tool, hiring a facilitator and holding weekly team meetings
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Les Wall has ownership in three feedlots and a desire to retire, so the Wall family knew they had to get serious about succession planning. The family spent years planning and thinking about the future, and then took a giant step forward by joining EOS Traction, a business tool designed to bring […] Read more
Transition planned, but not rushed
Couple will pass the farm on to son and daughter-in-law but want to ensure non-farming daughters are treated fairly
ROUND HILL, Alta. — At the end of Humphrey and Terry Banack’s driveway is a large sign listing the names and dates of the previous Banack families who lived there since the farm was established in 1906. The year 1999, when Terry and Humphrey started farming, is written on the sign, but there is no […] Read more
Three NFB films capture Calgary Stampede’s evolution
Since its beginning in 1912, the Calgary Stampede has been about more than rodeo. Along with the cowboys are livestock, agricultural equipment and the latest technology. The first colour television in Calgary was showcased at the Calgary Stampede, said Christine Leppard, manager of exhibits and experience with the Sam Centre, a year-round Calgary Stampede attraction […] Read more
Herbicide approved for industrial use by drone
The door to spraying herbicides with drones opened a crack with the Canadian approval of a herbicide by drone for industrial application. Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency approved Garlon XRT herbicide, the first industrial vegetation product with drone application on the label. “We are the first company to have a pesticide registered with PMRA for […] Read more
Sugarbeets remain important part of Alta. farm
New Roundup Ready varieties, better equipment and efficient irrigation have helped family boost yields over the years
COALDALE, Alta. — Few tourists will stop the car to take a picture of themselves in a field of sugar beets, but the lumpy yellow beet with wide curly leaves has been a staple on the VandenElzen farm for more than 50 years. Cory VandenElzen’s family began growing sugar beets on their current farm in […] Read more
Standing Alone offered unique perspectives
There comes a time, usually in middle age, when a person wishes they had paid more attention to their parents’ and grandparents’ stories. It was no different for Pete Standing Alone, who thought the dances, ceremonies and traditions on his southern Alberta Blood Reserve were dull and unimportant. “I was just a spectator. I thought […] Read more
Film features life of Chinese immigrants on Ontario farm
When filmmaker Yung Chang followed a Chinese family through one year on an Ontario vegetable farm, he wanted a simple film about the ebbs and flows of rural life. “I knew this was not going to be a migrant worker film. It was not going to be about that kind of strife. I was trying […] Read more
Three documentaries capture farm life on the grasslands
It’s not often a movie director arrives in a community and the ideas for the upcoming film come from the community and not the director. After director Scott Parker met community members in town halls and farms across southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, it was the residents who came up with the themes for the […] Read more
Malt keeps the wheels turning
NEW NORWAY, Alta. — Low prices and a busy off-farm job convinced Dean Durand to sit down with his parents in 2005 and question why they were still farming. “Canola was priced at $6 a bushel and barley was $2 and it didn’t make any sense. It was a tough one. We sat down at […] Read more
