Pests gain on GM corn? (Reuters) — Researchers in Illinois are finding significant damage from rootworms in farm fields planted in a rotation with a genetically modified corn that is supposed to protect the crop from the pests, according to a new report. Evidence gathered from fields in two Illinois counties suggests that pest problems […] Read more
News
World in brief
Antelope Creek Ranch: conservation to the max
Environmental interests work together to show wetland management, cattle grazing, energy activities and research can co-exist
BROOKS, Alta. — It’s mixed prairie in more ways than one. On the Antelope Creek Ranch, it’s a mix of the Alberta government, the Alberta Fish and Game Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Wildlife Habitat Canada that work together to manage a 6,000-acre piece of mixed grass prairie and wetlands. The site, dedicated to livestock […] Read more
Producer classified ads help boy get hitched on career
My 15-year-old son got hitched through the classified ads in The Western Producer. To tell the whole story, I must start at the beginning. My son and I took the draft horse driving course at the Olds College, in Olds, Alta., and he was hooked immediately. After the first evening of the course, the instructor […] Read more
ADM upgrades speed delivery
ADM Agri-Industries expansion | Alberta facility allows growers to unload ‘ATM-style’
One of the largest canola crushing plants on the Prairies has streamlined its seed receiving capabilities and is poised to open the biggest biodiesel plant in Canada. ADM Agri-Industries is putting the finishing touches on an expansion at its plant in Lloydminster, Alta., that will greatly reduce waiting times at the facility. The company has […] Read more
Cycling event impresses the pros
It’s not as well known as the Tour de France, but the Tour of Alberta has caught the attention of cycling fans and hopefully the dollars of future tourists. It’s estimated 168 million viewers in 162 countries may have watched elite cyclists race down rural roads and through small towns and cities in Alberta, and […] Read more
Huge Canadian canola crop a boon to crushers, exporters after off year
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Canada’s expected record-large canola crop looks to re-stock the country’s seed exporters and crushers after a disappointing previous harvest, and top up already growing global oilseed supplies, industry sources said. Canada is the world’s biggest producer of canola, which is mainly used to make vegetable oil for foods like potato chips and […] Read more
Ducks Unlimited makes big purchase
Ducks Unlimited Canada has celebrated its 75th anniversary by buying a 6,000 acre parcel of prairie wetlands in the middle of southern Alberta’s farming country. “It’s an island of grass surrounded by a sea of cultivation,” said Barry Bishop, head of conservation programs with Ducks Unlimited Canada. The 6,000 acre block, about an hour south […] Read more
Associate deputy minister leaves Saskatchewan Agriculture
Nithi Govindasamy, associate deputy minister of policy and programs at Saskatchewan agriculture, is moving to the highways ministry. As of Sept. 16, he will be the deputy minister of highways and infrastructure to Don McMorris. Govindasamy joined the Saskatchewan agriculture ministry shortly after the November 2007 election. He had worked for the Alberta government before […] Read more
Energy company activities infuriate Alberta residents
PEACE RIVER, Alta. — Richard and Audrey Langer gave up their fight with nearby energy companies this spring and moved off the farm. After years of complaining about the odours from nearby oil operations, the couple moved 75 kilo-metres west where they said the air didn’t smell so foul. Langer’s father homesteaded the farm in […] Read more
Sask. harvest 30 percent complete
The Saskatchewan harvest is now at least 30 percent complete. The provincial crop report released Thursday said, as of Sept. 9, another 36 percent of the crop was either swathed or ready to combine. The five-year average for this time of year is 28 percent combined and 31 percent ready. The southwest region is the […] Read more
