The Old Time Ranch Rodeo was held Aug. 18 at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site near Longview, Alta. | Mike Sturk photos
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”91″ display=”masonry” captions_enabled=”0″ captions_display_sharing=”1″ captions_display_title=”1″ captions_display_description=”1″ captions_animation=”slideup”]Farm Living
Young farmers flourish in northern Alberta
The average age of Mackenzie County farmers is 46.8, making it the youngest farmer population in Western Canada
FORT VERMILION, Alta. — Neil Simpson takes a break from welding a spray boom in the shop, deciding he’ll check on his horses and his small herd of cattle on nearby land. The 26-year-old farmer has his own home and two quarters of land near his parents in Fort Vermilion, and he plans to grow […] Read more
B.C. farm finds new challenges in Alberta
AIRDRIE, Alta. — When the Souto family set up a new farm on 27 acres near Airdrie, they soon learned they were not in British Columbia anymore. Plenty of wind, new weeds and a different farming style introduced them to foothills cultivation. “It is completely different from B.C. Everything we learned growing up was out […] Read more
Alberta farm raises produce for food banks
A decline in business prompted the initiative, and more than 31,000 pounds of root vegetables were delivered last year
WESTEROSE, Alta. — Steve and Nicky Breum’s 320-acre Gone Green Farms sits in a long lush valley in central Alberta not far from Pigeon Lake, one of the busiest recreation areas in the province. The couple raise livestock including Highland cattle, pigs, geese and ducks, but it’s their five acres of vegetable gardens that keep […] Read more
Eggs were just part of visiting the hen house
The stops that were made along the way were half the fun when heading out to gather eggs on Uncle Jim’s farm
I needed at least three baskets to gather eggs with Uncle Jim. It wasn’t that he kept such a large flock. Two dozen hens couldn’t possibly lay that many eggs, even if they were as pampered as Uncle Jim’s. And besides, hens lay only once a day. Whenever I paid a week’s visit to the […] Read more
Feedlot worker retention a challenge
Feedlot owners and ranchers urge the agriculture industry to do a better job of addressing the sector’s labour needs
Finding suitable hired hands on the farm is one thing. Keeping them is another. Alberta feedlot owner Ryan Kasko and Saskatchewan rancher Lynn Grant of Saskatchewan understand the importance of encouraging Canadians to work on farms but their experiences reflect the reality of living in rural areas. Foreign workers from rural regions often fit in […] Read moreComplicated grieving can have destructive consequences
Q: Things have been pretty rough for all of us this past year. My dad died somewhat unexpectantly. He was overweight, he smoked and once he left the farm, he did little to keep himself active. Still, he was only 59 years old and that caught all of us off guard. I am not sure […] Read more
Beware of power lines: SaskPower
SaskPower is reminding farmers to take care around power lines during harvest after an increasing number of contacts through the growing season. Since April 1, there have been 240 reported incidents of machinery contacting electrical lines. That’s up from 230 at the same time last year. Spokesperson Joel Cherry said despite continuous efforts to remind […] Read more
Will Ont. farm death verdict lead to safer practices?
A recent court case that saw an Ontario farmer convicted of criminal negligence in the death of his son could encourage more farmers to improve safety, according to experts. In the history-making case, Justice Julia Morneau of the Ontario Court of Justice on Aug. 8 sentenced farmer Emanuel Bauman with a 10-year driving prohibition and […] Read more
Mechanical exoskeletons may one day reduce effort, injury risks for farmers
GLENSIDE, Sask. — Farming is a real pain in the back. But a bolt-on solution is on the way. Years of prolonged bending, lifting and shoveling contributes to back pain and is typical of many tasks in agriculture. “We know that farmers get very high rates of back injury. Even higher than in some other […] Read more
