Penny Yeager

Alberta health and education officials say millions added to those provincial budgets may not amount to much this year. “We’re hoping to sustain our current level of services but I’m not sure we’ll be able to do much beyond that. I think that you would find across the province that every region was in the […] Read more

PLAMONDON, Alta. – When 11-year-old Ilia Basargin suits up to play for the Plamondon Oilers, he feels like a star. On the ice the Atom hockey player is number 39, just like his favorite player from the Edmonton Oilers, Doug Weight. Basargin had scored 22 goals by the end of January and plays centre, as […] Read more

A private member’s bill to create Alberta’s own version of the Canadian Wheat Board is before the provincial legislature. But even if the bill becomes law, it will have to clear another hurdle, this one in the courts. “If it were to be passed into legislation it would be challenged on the basis that the […] Read more

Plans to bring in a flat tax rate in three years have put the political focus on Alberta. “We invite other people to watch the Alberta experiment,” said treasurer Stockwell Day, who announced the tax plan in the pro-vince’s budget March 11. “I hope this will be helpful for all Canadians.” If the provincial government […] Read more

Rural Albertans may enjoy a smoother ride with millions of dollars slated for rural highways in this year’s transportation budget. That’s a good first step, according to agriculture minister Ed Stelmach. “There’s probably enough money there to deal with more of the priorities but we do know that with the restructuring that’s happening in grain […] Read more

New laws that allow American slaughter hogs into Canada for the first time in years are ineffective and may cause trade barriers, according to one packing plant manager. “Effectively we consider the United States closed as a source for live hogs. We can’t comply with the protocol,” said Bob Telford, general provisions manager for Fletcher’s […] Read more

ST. PAUL, Alta. – Farmers are well known for their preference for working independently, but partnerships may be better when producing herbs and spices. “I don’t think it’s common now but I think it will be a new venture,” said Alberta Agriculture rural development specialist Morley Kjargaard at a crop diversification workshop. Plenty of herb […] Read more

ST. PAUL, Alta. – Echinacea growers could waste a lot of time and money if they don’t ensure their crop is pure, according to one producer. “If it isn’t perfect some buyers won’t take it, but if it is good they’ll pay a good price for it,” said Jim Marles of West Country Herbs. There […] Read more

NEW NORWAY, Alta. – “This is my last chemical toque,” said Steven Snider while donning a green, ratty-looking hat that he’s had for more than a decade. Free caps, T-shirts and pens – all compliments of chemical companies – are perks the 30-year-old organic farmer has decided to live without. But this farmer, who lives […] Read more

This too shall pass. “I kept hearing those words from my dad who raised pigs all his life,” said Colin Millang, a Camrose, Alta., farmer who lived through plummeting hog prices and is now expanding his feeder hog operation as prices improve. The words were a comfort in December and January when things were particularly […] Read more