Mary MacArthur

VIKING, Alta. – An Alberta Hutterite colony has turned the manure from its hog and chicken operation into water, heat, electricity and a new cash crop. The Iron Creek Colony, south of Viking, has eliminated its yearly $100,000 manure injection and $250,000 electricity bills, reduced its $60,000 water bill, cut its heating bill in half […] Read more

NISKU, Alta. – Four Saskatchewan elk farms are in limbo after being declared “highly contagious” by government officials because of a high level of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, found in their livestock. Not only can the farmers not raise livestock of any kind any longer, they must maintain their perimeter fences to prevent wild […] Read more

NISKU, Alta. – Some deer producers are no longer submitting heads of dead animals for inspection for chronic wasting disease since the Canadian Food Inspection Agency refined its compensation program, says a farmer. “A lot of people are no longer willing to send in heads because of it,” said Jim Mercier of Gibbons, Alta. He […] Read more

VIKING, Alta. – Electrical generation from manure is no longer a dream for Alberta livestock producers. “Intensive livestock operations now can become independent power producers,” said Grant Meikle, vice-president of marketing with BioGem. He installed the company’s first generator that turns methane from manure into electricity for an Alberta colony. The Iron Creek Colony, south […] Read more

RED DEER – Flexibility is the key to grazing in a drought, says the manager of a custom grazing operation. It’s not uncommon for the Cherhill Ranch, east of Edmonton, to completely change herds three or four times a year to match their land’s stocking rate and forage supply, said Nolan Regier. Instead of stocking […] Read more

RED DEER – Terry Crisp is a man on the move. So are his seed drill, his combine and his cattle. The Alberta farmer has a main farm at Monitor in east central Alberta, a second farm near Stettler, Alta., a third near Gadsby, Alta., and a fourth at North Battleford, Sask. The geographic diversification […] Read more

Some provinces are considering a voluntary sheep certification program to test for scrapie, says a Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinarian. Penny Greenwood, senior staff veterinarian, said she’s heard rumblings of interest from three provinces about adopting such a program. Scrapie is in the same disease family as bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and chronic wasting […] Read more

A disease survey of Alberta’s sheep industry has pronounced the province’s flock to be in good health. “From what we’ve seen here, it’s pretty good,” said chief provincial veterinarian Gerald Ollis. In the largest cull ewe survey in Canada, 350 ewes were tested for a variety of diseases and bacteria to get a snapshot of […] Read more

After more than 50 years, Fairview College is ending the program that launched its beginning. Academic vice-president Paul Hunt said the two-year agriculture diploma program will end when the final students graduate in the spring. He said the Peace River area college will replace the program with agriculture short courses such as grain dryer operation, […] Read more

Plans for an 80,000-hog barn in central Alberta have been dealt a major blow. The Alberta Court of Appeal overturned a decision that would have allowed Taiwan Sugar to build a $41 million hog barn complex south of Hardisty. Lana Love, with the Flagstaff Family Farm Promotional Society that opposed the project, said the almost […] Read more