On the Farm: Couple found new way to market leafcutter bees after low prices hurt alfalfa seed industry and reduced demand for pollinators
Jed and Kathy Williams reached a crossroads with their alfalfa seed and leafcutter bee operation in 2017. The common seed market for alfalfa collapsed due to overproduction with prices plunging to 40 cents per pound compared to $2.20 a year earlier. The couple from Imperial, Sask., made the gut-wrenching decision to warehouse that year’s crop […] Read moreTag Archives on the farm — page 3
Stopping to smell and purchase the flowers
DAVIDSON, Sask. — Tucked in a corner of her parents’ farmyard between the house, a row of grain bins and a vegetable garden lies Rachel Basaldua LePoudre’s passion. Dahlias. More than 200 varieties in a wide range of colours and sizes are gloriously blooming on a September day. All of them are neatly labeled and […] Read more
Alberta farm family takes on the sweet potato
On the Farm: Grain and livestock producers saw an opportunity to supply an emerging market with sweet potato slips
With almost 10,000 acres of native pasture, 2,500 acres of irrigated grain land, 1,000 cow-calf pairs including a purebred Charolais herd, and a custom feedlot, one farming dynasty in southeastern Alberta seems to have a lot on their plate. But the operators hope to build more. They’re developing a new industry in the province — […] Read more
Grain farmers get into the value-added spirit
On the Farm: Lars Hirch and Rachelle Fiset see their new distillery as a logical extension of their crop-growing operation
It’s one thing to grow the grains for distilling hard spirits and another to actually produce the whiskey and vodka on a retail level. However, a Rolling Hills, Alta., couple’s blending of the two is producing a sustainable cocktail accented with locally produced products. For Pivot Spirits, local is just that. Owners Lars Hirch and […] Read more
Alberta family prepares for another harvest
On the Farm: Irrigation has allowed this mixed farming operation to be successful, but it makes slow times a rarity
It’s harvest season for the Slenders family, who run a mixed farming operation north of Vauxhall, Alta. But when you’re working a 13-quarter section farm with forage corn, wheat and alfalfa seed, not to mention a 300 cow-calf operation and feedlot, there aren’t many times they aren’t busy. “We’ve always been a mixed farming operation,” […] Read more
Farm family downsized to be more efficient
On the Farm: Couple say their imminent debt-free status and anticipated extra income will allow for creative thinking
QUILL LAKE, Sask. — It was a choice of getting bigger or getting more efficient. Dwight and Tanya Odelein decided the latter in 2012 by downsizing from 3,300 acres to 2,400 so they could manage all the labour on their grain farm by themselves. “It wasn’t easy to find hired men and Dad was starting […] Read more
Saddle up and escape among the coulees
George Gaber instantly knew La Raeta Ranch was going to be his new home when he first visited the place more than 25 years ago. “We camped out overnight along the Swift Current Creek and that really hit me. I thought I was in a movie setting,” he said. “It rained all night. We got […] Read more
Hatview Dairy makes it work in southern Alta.
On the Farm: Three generations of Weisses have operated their successful dairy just outside Medicine Hat for 70 years
The Prairies are best known for growing breadbasket crops and hosting the largest cattle herds in the nation. However, when it comes to dairy, Alberta doesn’t come top of mind. It may even be surprising to some that the province has the country’s third highest number of dairy farms — at slightly more than 500 […] Read more
Farm family follows their own unique beat
On the Farm The Nikkels concentrate on oats, selling rolled and steel-cut products in health and grocery stores
Amy and Donald Nikkel chose to call their 80-acre farm in Manitoba’s Interlake region Adagio Acres to highlight their goal of producing food at a slower tempo. Amy said they achieve this by combining farming with a commitment to family life, their surrounding community and the larger community of Manitoba organic growers. The Nikkels are […] Read more
City girl discovers a good fit with farm life
On the Farm: The Skinners grow wheat, barley, oats and canola and calve about 250 purebred Red and Black Angus cows
ENGLEFELD, Sask. — City girl Bonnie Skinner went looking for a farmer and the search led her to marry her husband Pat. “When I met Pat on his farm and he was covered in dirt, I just fell in love,” she said. The two connected online in 2006 using the dating service Cupid.com, which they […] Read more
