Mary MacArthur

EDMONTON – A provincial government report on rural Alberta gives a candid account of the hardships facing rural communities and the people who live there, says a university professor specializing in rural issues. Roger Epp, interim academic dean at Augustana University College in Camrose, said Rural Development: Land of Opportunity doesn’t hide the hurt in […] Read more

EDMONTON – Two Alberta food lovers are savouring prairie heritage with the launch of a new magazine. Writer Jennifer Cockrall-King and jewelry designer Terry Juzak hope to convey their enthusiasm for prairie food and with it, recognition of the region’s uniqueness in The Edible Prairie Journal. Writing about the prairie food scene has been a […] Read more

An Alberta woman believes the federal government is taking her to court as an example of what can happen when producers don’t put official identification ear tags on their cattle. Kirsty Babiak of Jarvie is scheduled to appear before a review tribunal in federal court in Edmonton April 20, more than a year after she […] Read more

In an unusual break with tradition, the federal government may offer $500 million to $1 billion in agriculture aid without demanding that a share of the money come from the provinces. Terry Willock, Alberta Agriculture media spokesperson, said the program, still unconfirmed but widely rumoured, is an independent agriculture aid program. “It’s stand alone for […] Read more

EDMONTON – Alberta beef farmers will have to wait a few more months to find out if meat packers benefited from government BSE aid programs. While at first glance Alberta Agriculture’s report on prices in the beef industry concludes there is no evidence to suggest unfair packer profits, the investigation did not look at the […] Read more

A beef promotion to help cattle producers was so successful it had to be cancelled. More than 3,000 people ordered more than 100,000 pounds of beef at a price of $3 per lb. from the Ardrossan Recreation and Agricultural Society, which organized the sale to support local beef producers. The overwhelming support swamped the organizers […] Read more

Alberta farmers hope a report on their province’s beef industry, expected to be released this week, will answer their questions on the gap between what they get when they sell an animal and the price consumers pay in the grocery store. The report Pricing in the Beef Industry was initiated in February by Alberta agriculture […] Read more

A new study that shows elk velvet antler is effective in reducing arthritis in dogs could provide a major boost to the elk industry, said the chair of the Alberta Elk Commission. “We think it’s great news for dogs and dog owners and great news for the industry,” said Glenda Elkow of Lloydminster. The University […] Read more

NISKU, Alta. – They may not drive the fanciest trucks in their neighbourhoods, but three farmers on an agricultural panel say changes have made their farms richer in more than monetary ways. Don Ruzicka of Killam, Hyland Armstrong of Cypress Hills and Larry Kitz of Two Hills all said changes to develop wildlife habitat have […] Read more

A new study that links sulfur dioxide to poorer cattle health is scientific evidence of what farmers have been saying for years, says one group of producers. In a three-year investigation, the University of Alberta research found that in a controlled environment, exposure to sulfur dioxide showed measurable damage to the animal’s lungs, some suppression […] Read more