Mary MacArthur

When Irving Bablitz walked out to his barn yard last week he thought he’d walked into a battle zone. Dead meadow voles were scattered in his yard. “It was like the aftermath of a war.” He doesn’t know for sure, but he’s giving credit for the carnage to a weasel. “He had a rhythm to […] Read more

When Bert Hawryluk drives out of her farmyard she crosses a bridge. If she’s driving to Nampa, only a few kilometres away, she crosses two more. If she drives to Peace River she can cross three bridges. While bridges straddling winding rivers may be picturesque, they are turning into a big hassle for the people […] Read more

Growing up on a farm in northern Alberta, I still remember my mom phoning our grocery order into the local store just before leaving home. After the town errands were done we’d stop at Great West Mercantile and pick up our groceries, already boxed, and head home. A modern version of phoning in the grocery […] Read more

CAMROSE, Alta. – Each morning Lynne Jenkinson grabs her cup of coffee and heads to her computer to read the morning newspaper. Unlike her city cousins, Jenkinson doesn’t get the paper delivered to her doorstep and reading the computer version keeps the self-confessed news junkie in touch. “In rural Alberta it’s a very useful tool,” […] Read more

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – A slim majority of farmers in the British Columbia Peace Region want to keep the Canadian Wheat Board, according to a survey of residents by its member of Parliament. “The majority of respondents to the survey indicated they did not favor a dual market system. A lot of that is out […] Read more

EDMONTON – There may be a truce in the dual marketing war between the Alberta and federal governments with the appointment of a new provincial agriculture minister. “Every time we spend valuable time debating we’re losing markets,” said Ed Stelmach. In the wake of the latest federal government plebiscite results, showing 63 percent of farmers […] Read more

With its renewed mandate Alberta’s Progressive Conservative government has some new faces mixed with the old in its cabinet. Premier Ralph Klein named Red Deer MLA Stockwell Day to the job of provincial treasurer and deputy premier. Day promised to keep the budget on the same course as former treasurer Jim Dinning who retired this […] Read more

The number of farmers using Alberta’s new hog futures contracts is confidential, but officials say there is active trade. They say contracts are sold daily, they get inquiries every day and it takes more than three hours each day to fax information to farmers following price changes. “It’s been very successful,” Ron Landry, data processing […] Read more

Underground drinking water is at risk unless seismic companies are forced to reseal the holes they drill when testing for oil and gas, said farmers at the Alberta Surface Rights Federation annual meeting. “I realize it’s a serious concern and industry realizes it’s a concern,” said Herman Selcho, manager of the Land Management and Energy […] Read more

Concerns about water safety near Grande Prairie have brought oil companies and county officials together to set new standards for oil and gas drilling, said a county councillor. “Our water quality in the Valhalla area has deteriorated something terrible over the last few years,” said County of Grande Prairie coun. Richard Harpe. After years of […] Read more