Mary MacArthur

An Alberta Court of Appeal has rejected a request by Taiwan Sugar Corp. to move ahead a hearing date for a controversial hog barn. Judge Anne Russell said there were no hearing dates available earlier than the original Nov. 27 date. DGH Engineering, the Canadian company that is designing the 7,200-sow barn and represents the […] Read more

STONY PLAIN, Alta. – Laying hens of the future will continue to live in cages, says a provincial livestock specialist, but their cages will be modified with separate nesting boxes and roosts. “I think this is the future,” said John Church during an egg farm field day. During his doctoral thesis, Church put a clothesline […] Read more

Ernie and Verna Hilderman had no proof that a water chlorination system was better for their cattle when they installed it in their cattle barn and corral waterers three years ago. They still don’t, but the Camrose couple know they like the water that comes out of the taps in the barn better than the […] Read more

An Alberta drought assistance program for honey producers is more of a psychological boost than financial, says the president of the Alberta Beekeepers Association. “The recognition is a boost to the psyche,” said Grant Hicks of McLennan, who appreciates that the government recognizes his industry’s importance. As part of a drought assistance program, the Alberta […] Read more

A technical team from Taiwan will arrive in Alberta in mid-June to give the final nod to the set of blueprints that will be used for a controversial 7,500-sow hog barn complex. Clarence Froese of DGH Engineering said Taiwan Sugar Corp.’s construction tenders for the barns south of Hardisty will be issued in July once […] Read more

Two Alberta high school students opposed to a large hog barn complex have designed a survey tailored to find out who else is opposed. Joe Klassen of Czar and Sean Cullen and Amisk rejected several other topics for their high school English assignment before settling on a report about Taiwan Sugar Corp.’s planned hog barn […] Read more

Faced with a growing population, the Alberta government plans to embark on a long-term safe drinking water strategy. The government wants to develop five, 10 and 20-year plans to ensure safe drinking water, said Mark Cooper, an Alberta Environment spokesperson. “Albertans need to be assured of safe drinking water,” said Cooper. “With continued population and […] Read more

Producers who anticipate a feed shortage should consider all their crops as potential feed, says an Alberta Agriculture beef specialist. “You can silage just about any crop,” said Brad Fournier, beef program co-ordinator in Edmonton. When he was a beef specialist in the Peace River area of northwestern Alberta, producers turned their skimpy canola crop […] Read more

When government needs a credible comment from a rural farm organization, they should ask the women’s institutes. Women’s institutes are across Canada, have grassroots members, and have a long history, said Faye Mayberry, president of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada. “We want to be more visible and meet with government at the national level,” […] Read more

It may be a few years before forward contracts are a regular part of lamb sales in Western Canada. Unlike the grain and cattle markets, there are no commodity exchanges predicting sheep prices months in the future, said Tony Stolz, manager of the Alberta Sheep and Wool Commission. “We don’t have that luxury with sheep.” […] Read more