A pilot plant that turns old grease, lard and canola oil into gas and diesel was so successful that a University of Alberta spin-off company will soon begin commercializing the product. Forge Hydrocarbons will use the patented process, which was de-signed by U of A researcher David Bressler, to turn the renewable feedstocks into “drop-in […] Read more
Stories by Mary MacArthur
Albertans warned about wild boar destruction
An Australian pig hunter warns that unless Albertans take a tough stand on feral wild boar, they will become a dangerous plague, destroying crops and livestock. Scott Leggett said he has seen “mobs of pigs” destroy a farm’s crops in Australia in a matter of days. “The pigs go in and eat the seed, the […] Read more
Rural Alberta community hits home run with academy
Program attracts students | The academy has slowed the school’s decline and makes ‘young men out of boys’ — that know how to play ball
OYEN, Alta. — Some rural areas may have difficulty attracting young blood, but not Oyen. The town in east-central Alberta has young baseball players clamouring to attend high school there. Thirty-eight boys applied to play ball at the Badlands Baseball Academy this year, and only 17 were accepted. “It’s an economic driver for our town […] Read moreBranding pays for producer; cattle returned
An eagle-eyed brand inspector played a big role last year in helping a Saskatchewan producer recover half of his stolen cattle. Leon Hougham of Frenchman’s Butte recovered only two of his four missing bred heifers, but he said it’s been a clear lesson that it pays to brand cattle and report missing livestock. “If you’re […] Read more
Malt barley growers expect year to cheer
Beer drinkers and farmers can rejoice. The Canadian malt barley crop was the largest and best quality in years. Pat Rowan of Anheuser Busch said it’s the largest yielding crop he’s seen in his 30 years of buying malt barley for the brewing industry. “It’s a huge, huge crop,” said Rowan, who added it wasn’t […] Read more
Suncor refinery shutdown causes diesel shortage
Parts of the Prairies are experiencing a diesel supply shortage because of a shutdown at Suncor’s Edmonton refinery. “We are currently experiencing a diesel supply shortage, affecting parts of Western Canada,” wrote Nicole Fisher, media adviser with Suncor Energy. “We understand that this is an inconvenience to our customers and we are working to minimize […] Read more
Peace residents to get say on how inquiry should proceed
Peace River area residents who say the air from nearby energy processing is making them sick are getting a chance to express themselves Oct. 7 on how an inquiry into the issue should proceed. The Alberta Energy Regulator is asking the residents what concerns they want addressed in the inquiry. “We’ve been waiting for an […] Read more
Stampede to review rules
Blood testing protocol | Policy examination comes after case of disqualified steer
The Calgary Stampede will review its steer show rules following the controversial disqualification of a winning steer after it tested positive for drugs. “We would consider some ongoing enhancements for this competition including automatically testing both the grand and reserve champion,” said Stampede corporate communications director Kurt Kadatz after the Stampede’s Agriculture Review Panel upheld […] Read morePeace farmers see big yields
Not everybody so lucky Wheat midge and too much heat may have caused problems in some areas
Timely rain during the growing season and great weather during harvest have created some of the best crops in parts of Alberta’s Peace River region. “It’s the easiest harvest we’ve had in my little farming career,” said Greg Wieben, of Fairview. “After the first 2 1/2 weeks we were wanting rain to have a break. […] Read more
Genomics testing boosts heifer sales
Selling by the numbers | Dairy producers say gene-linked traits are the biggest industry advancement since freezing semen
PONOKA, Alta. — It was an eight-month old Holstein heifer that didn’t even attend the Morsan Farms sale that brought top dollar. Sully Man-O-Shan Martha sold for $140,000 at the farm’s Morsan300 sale Sept. 18-19. It was the heifer’s numbers rather than its looks that brought the high prices, said Greg Thalen of Morsan Farms. […] Read more
