Mary MacArthur

The fallout from the World Trade Centre disaster has spread to prairie forests and lakes. American hunters have cancelled hunting trips to Canada in the wake of the disaster, said Owen Voaklander, managing director of the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society. “There were cancellations, especially last week,” said Voaklander, of the week following the terrorist attacks […] Read more

As if livestock producers don’t have enough to worry about with drought and a shortage of feed, they can add undrinkable water and nitrate poisoning in greenfeed to their list. “There are some real significant problems happening,” said Ken Mrazek, vice-president of the agrifood division of Norwest Labs of Calgary. About one-third of the oat […] Read more

More than three quarters of the water samples sent to a southern Alberta laboratory are very high in salts, which are dangerous to cattle, says an official with Norwest Labs. “Three-quarters of the dugout water is extremely high in salts,” said Ken Mrazek, vice-president of the agrifood division of Norwest Labs. Mrazek said some dugout […] Read more

EDMONTON – Despite low lamb prices in the past few months, Vern Gleddie believes raising sheep can still be financially rewarding. “If you have a lot of energy and time, sheep will reward the effort,” said Gleddie. The key to making money is keeping costs low, said Gleddie, who raises sheep on a half section […] Read more

The National Farmers Union, expressing worry about a proposed merger between Agricore and United Grain Growers, has asked the Competition Bureau to block the deal. “We foresee a dramatic consolidation in the grain handling system to the point where it’s controlled by, at the most, three or four companies,” said NFU executive secretary Darrin Qualman. […] Read more

EDMONTON Ð Prairie sheep producers are faring no better than cattle producers after a summer of grasshoppers and little rain. Audrey Lalonde of Entwistle, Alta., brought 16 ewes to Edmonton recently for the first sheep sale of September to help the grass on her farm last over the next month. “I’m selling two-thirds of my […] Read more

A group of Alberta landowners hope a plebiscite to be held during the upcoming municipal elections will stop an abandoned CN rail line from becoming a recreation trail for motorized vehicles. “We’ll do whatever we can to stop this trail going through,” said Steve Upham, a director on the Lakeland Rail Adjacent Landowners, who felt […] Read more

CALGARY – The prairie grain co-operative didn’t change without a fight. “It’s a dark day for farmers in Alberta if this resolution goes through,” said Jack Ward of Arrowwood, Alta., during an Agricore shareholders meeting to vote if Agricore and United Grain Growers should merge. “We had one of the greatest grain handling organizations in […] Read more

HOLDEN, Alta. – Margaret Gibson has learned to coax beauty out of her dry corner of the prairie. Hidden behind a row of shelterbelt trees is an oasis of flowers and vegetables she sells at four local farmers’ markets. Gibson is the first to admit it isn’t easy growing market garden flowers and vegetables where […] Read more

Alberta cattle producers hope a $500,000 contribution toward the creation of a beef chair at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine will increase the number of students wanting to practice large animal medicine. For five years, cattle producers have passed resolutions at the Alberta Cattle Commission annual meeting to find ways of encouraging veterinarians to […] Read more