“Blue paint is the worst,” says Lisa Surber from the front of a makeshift classroom. She’s pointing at a slide where a smudge of white fleece is smeared with the remains of blue marking paint, now greenish after a prolonged wash. “The packaging may say it’s scourable but the second you cut that paint or […] Read more
Stories by Tara Klager
Disease screening aims to improve health of wild sheep
Pilot project in British Columbia offers free M. ovi testing in domestic flocks as a way to reduce spread to wild animals
This spring, rather than landfilling or burning their waste wool, domestic sheep producers in the East Kootenays can have it turned into environmentally friendly fertilizer pellets while supporting wild sheep conservation. In an initiative that partners hope will grow to include all wild sheep areas in the province, British Columbia shepherd Jennifer Bowes is spearheading […] Read more
Teff hay seen as new forage option
Originally grown as a cereal crop, it has received good marks in research trials and impressed livestock producers
The shock and excitement is still noticeable when Micheline Maes of Blackwell Hay Farms just northwest of Cochrane, Alta., talks about the first time she saw the analysis for the farm’s teff hay. “I was like, this is the Holy Grail,” she said. “You’re always looking for that combination of low sugar and high protein.” […] Read more
Rural addiction has special challenges
More than half of farmers meet the diagnostic threshold for anxiety and more than a third meet the criteria for depression
“When it started, it was liquid courage. Alcohol works wonders for anxiety — for the first hour.” So says Gerry Friesen from his home office in Manitoba. With his heavy glasses and warm smile, the former hog farmer, now a stress and conflict management specialist and mediator, has an easy way about him. He’s thoughtful […] Read more
