Mary MacArthur

A surprise spring snowstorm across central and northern Alberta is welcome news to farmers hit by two years of drought. “We won’t turn it away,” said Andrew Peden of Minburn. He received 25 centimetres of snow Sunday evening. “It’s so welcome. We were so darn dry it wasn’t looking good.” The combination of rain and […] Read more

STETTLER, Alta. – Tucked away in a corner of the red brick provincial building in this central Alberta town is a new style of agriculture office. Instead of a reception area, there are a rack of pamphlets and small side offices for farmers to talk to agriculture staff. Specialists sit in front of computer screens […] Read more

United Farmers of Alberta has created a grain marketing division to connect farmers who want to sell feed grain with feedlots looking for grain. Kim Courtney, a member of UFA’s grain marketing team, said the Alberta co-op created the grain marketing division in March to fill the gap created by grain companies leaving rural communities. […] Read more

The Alberta elk diagnosed with chronic wasting disease can be linked to the same source that devastated Saskatchewan elk herds, elk industry sources say. “An animal in this herd can be traced to the herd in South Dakota,” said Serge Buy, executive director of the Canadian Cervid Council in Ottawa. Ian Thorliefson, an Alberta elk […] Read more

Bob Kirkpatrick was sympathetic when he heard that the first case of chronic wasting disease had recently been found in an Alberta elk herd. The president of the Saskatchewan Elk Breeders Association was one of the few people who would know the shock the Alberta family experienced when they heard their entire elk herd would […] Read more

The public may not know who owns the Alberta elk herd where chronic wasting disease was found recently, says an elk industry analyst, but other elk producers do. “Already they’ve experienced an awful lot of pressure,” said Ian Thorliefson, referring to the northern Alberta family whose elk will be slaughtered within two weeks to test […] Read more

Alberta premier Ralph Klein’s vocal opposition to hunt farms has shocked the province’s elk and white-tailed deer industries, which had been trying to convince the government to approve such farms. During a daily media briefing at the legislature, Klein told reporters he opposed hunt farms, also called cervid harvest preserves, and would fight new legislation […] Read more

Scientists at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lacombe, Alta., received a $1.5 million funding boost to focus on animal welfare research. The scientists will evaluate transport, handling, early detection of sick animals, reduced use of antibiotics and livestock housing. Al Schaefer with the centre said eight species of animals are studied at the centre from […] Read more

EDMONTON – A series of weather monitoring stations in Alberta is intended to help farmers learn more about drought conditions and change their management plans to better cope with drought. “It will help identify areas more prone to drought,” said Alberta agriculture minister Shirley McClellan while announcing the Alberta Drought Monitoring Program, also called Droughtnet. […] Read more

EDMONTON – The Alberta Farm Animal Care Association has given awards of distinction to two residents. Tim O’Byrne of Calico Beef Consulting was recognized for his communication and innovation and his efforts to promote humane livestock transportation and handling. O’Byrne has developed and taught courses on cattle and pig handling and transportation to truckers, farm […] Read more