Mary MacArthur

For some, chewing tobacco seems to be a tactile, sensory experience. “I almost find it relaxing to snap my tin and dip after a long day at school. When I feel the need to relax it seems to comfort me,” said a Grade 11 student at Bawlf, Alta. “After a hard day at school it’s […] Read more

EDMONTON – With a scalpel and steady hands, Ann Lukey’s Grade 12 biology students carefully take the top off a fertilized egg. They remove the outer shell but leave the membrane intact to create a window into the egg. It’s a way to introduce students to how embryos develop. “It’s a really cool lab,” Lukey […] Read more

EDMONTON – “All my life I’ve worked with kids. “There’s a need to incorporate safety in agriculture in the classroom. Agriculture in the classroom works.” At breakneck speed, Marion Leithead tries to cram as much farm safety teaching information into her 20-minute session as possible. The teachers and student teachers at the agriculture education forum […] Read more

The push for changes to the Canadian Wheat Board Act will be a top priority for re-elected Alberta agriculture minister Walter Paszkowski. “We have to find ways to make changes that are legally workable and acceptable,” said Paszkowski from his northern Alberta constituency where he was re-elected with almost 4,000 votes more than his closest […] Read more

One more weed has become resistant to herbicides. Cleavers, a serious weed for prairie farmers, has become resistant to group two herbicides, said Linda Hall, Alberta Agriculture’s weed specialist. Hall confirmed the resistance in a farm near Ponoka, Alta. “Because it is cleavers it is a major problem. Cleavers is a very damaging weed where […] Read more

Cattle are prone to respiratory disease because of the design of their lungs and airways. Because anatomy can’t be altered, herds must be managed to reduce the incidence of lung disease. Cattle have a poor lung design. Their air passages (trachea and bronchi) are fairly large, yet their functional lung tissue where oxygen uptake occurs […] Read more

Mailbox is a regular feature of Western People magazine. This week we recognize its popularity with some extra space devoted to Mailbox items. Looking for a company that makes the sealing ring for a National Pressure Cooker, size #5 that holds five quart jars. Also, a store that sells plastic flowers, or a company that […] Read more

Armed with facts and figures, the Potato Growers of Alberta are prepared to fight the latest American trade investigation on their industry. In April, they plan to travel to Washington to prove Canadian potatoes are more expensive only because they’re better. “If there are any price differences it’s because we have higher quality and lower […] Read more

Forget soil tests. Earthworms may be the key to knowing if the soil in a farmer’s field is healthy. Scientists at the Agriculture Canada Research Centre in Lethbridge are launching a project to see if there’s a connection between the number and kinds of earthworms in a field and what farmers are doing with the […] Read more

Doctors in five Peace River region hospitals gave patients a taste of what health care might look like in the future. For three days, starting Monday, patients were turned away from local hospitals and told to drive to Grande Prairie for any health care, except for emergencies. It’s what health care will look like in […] Read more