The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) has allocated 14 inches from the farm gate for irrigation this season.Chairman Cory Nelson says the board carefully considers a number of factors when deciding on allocation."Based on modelling and snowpack data supplied by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, we are v...

The provincial government says it is putting $250,000 over two years into an idea meant to get veterinary students to stay in rural Alberta.This money is for the Veterinary Student Recruitment and Retention Pilot Grant Program. It is intended to get rural clinics to hire summer students and to get those students to pra...

An Environmental Farm Plan Workshop is being held at the Cypress County office in Dunmore on March 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.The course is free to attend, and the County stated the workshop will ensure your plan is done right.A laptop or tablet is required, and snacks and drinks will be provided.Registration closes on Fri...

A new report indicates that southern Alberta might not be facing the severity of droughts in had for the last few years. The Alberta Government's Water Supply Outlook predicts "Normal to above normal March to September river volumes in the Milk, Oldman, Bow, Red Deer, and North Saskatchewan River basins." The...

Recipients of the 2025 FCC 4-H Club Fund have been announced and several are from central Alberta. "FCC's long-standing partnership with 4-H Canada plays an important role in strengthening local clubs and the volunteers who lead them," said 4-H Canada CEO Christina Franc, in a news release this week. "Th...

A provincial agricultural research group has announced its 2026-27 Board of Directors. Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) says in a news release, "This year's Board brings together primary producers, ranchers, agronomists, researchers, and experienced agrifood business leaders to guide RDAR's mandate and e...

The County of Forty Mile is accepting nominations for the Farmer of the Year for 2025.A farmer within the county who excels in farming practices, management capabilities, conservation methods, and is involved in community organizations is an ideal candidate for the application.The award is co-sponsored by the County of...

A pair of major announcements has been made by the newly reformed Lethbridge & District Agricultural Society. Cody McIntosh has been hired as the group's first director. He says he is proud to see that every member of their leadership team has a background in agriculture. For himself, McIntosh was raised on a farm ...

Cypress County is taking nominations for the Farm Family of the Year until Friday, Dec. 12.The BMO Farm Family Awards are given annually by the Calgary Stampede to recognize farm families in 18 different counties in southern Alberta who best typify the value of the family farmer to our rural communities and society in ...

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it will move forward with "complete depopulation" of hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm after the owners lost a bid to have their case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. The agency says it has respected all orders of the courts and expects the farm's o...

Grade 11 and 12 students from Prairie Rose Public School teamed up with Business Administration students at Medicine Hat College on Tuesday for a case competition.Cows, Crops, & Calculators is an accounting and agriculture-focused competition in which college students mentor high school students and work together t...

A pair of local farmers has received major recognition.At its inaugural Global Farmer Awards in New York, PepsiCo announced Chris and Harold Perry as the recipients of the Global Farmer of the Year Award.Ramon Laguarta, Chair and CEO of PepsiCo, says farmers are the heartbeat of their supply chain and the foundation of...

Cypress County's Nichole Neubauer, a family farm operator and education advocate, will receive the Alberta Order of Excellence during a ceremony at Government House in Edmonton on Oct. 16.A news release from the province said her trailblazing efforts help secure the future of Alberta's agricultural industry. She engage...

A TikTok video from October asked viewers to "imagine" receiving an email from a teacher asking parents' not to pack pork in their children's school lunches lest it offend religious students. Some who shared the video claimed Ontario and other Canadia...

Prairie Rose Public Schools announces the creation of the Yuill School of Agriculture in partnership with Neubauer Farms and Medicine Hat College. The school of agriculture is an important step in advancing agricultural education and workforce development in Alberta. This school offers students in Grades 10-12 a compre...

The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) has awarded $30,000 to 15 students who are studying agriculture-related post-secondary education for the 2025-26 school year.Each recipient will receive $2,000 through SMRID's annual scholarship program, named in memory of Peter Langemann, Keith Francis, and Jonnie Popel.T...

Cypress County farmer Nichole Neubauer and her family at Neubauer Farms finished harvest on the last day of September. They are included in a large number of producers who have wrapped up for the season, with the Alberta Crop Report on Sept. 29 showing that 91.4 per cent of major crops were off the field in southern Al...

A $30-million expansion by G.S. Dunn Limited is growing the mustard milling company's presence in Bow Island, backed by a $3.1-million tax credit from Alberta's government.The investment has created 34 new jobs, opened access to two new international markets in Japan and South Korea, and significantly boosted the compa...

EDGEWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the "ongoing delay" in carrying out the cull of ostriches at a British Columbia farm presents "potential animal and human health risks." The agency says in a statement that i...

Medicine Hat city council received a presentation on urban hens from Kristen Mann during Monday meeting, with her thoughts on the benefits of owning hens in the city. The benefits Mann had stated were composting, food production, companionship and fertilizer production. Chickens are currently considered livestock due t...

Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., has spent months fighting a cull order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that would result in the deaths of nearly 400 birds. Here are some of the key dates in the lengthy battle, including accounts ba...

An official with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is optimistic that drought conditions have been getting better in the region. Agroclimate Specialist Trevor Hadwen has provided his latest Canadian Drought Monitor report, covering the period of August 2025. He says the greatest improvement in Canada recently was seen i...

Alberta premier Danielle Smith will deliver a keynote address to lead off the 2025 Ag Connections Conference hosted by Cypress County at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Grounds on Thursday, Nov. 13.Ag Connections enters its third year, having grown into Alberta's largest professional development conference f...

Only a few days remain for post-secondary students in a region of southern Alberta to apply for funding.The St. Mary River Irrigation District says Sunday, August 31, 2025, will be the final day to apply for its annual scholarship.It awards up to 15 students with $2,000 each.Applicants must meet at least one of the fol...

Peavey Mart is making a comeback. A message posted to the farm goods retailer's website says the brand that closed all its stores earlier in the year is planning to reopen in select Alberta markets. The note says Spruce Grove, Westlock, Camrose and Lacombe will all see Peavey Mart return this fall. The company says the...

EDGEWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - The Federal Court of Appeal ruled on Aug. 21 that a cull of about 400 ostriches can proceed at a British Columbia ostrich farm that suffered an avian flu outbreak. Here are five things to know about the situation at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. 1. What did the court dec...

A New York billionaire who is an avid supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump says he is helping fund the legal battle by a British Columbia ostrich farm against an order to cull their flock of about 400 birds after an avian flu outbreak. John Catsimatidis says he and a friend have contributed about US$35,000 to the l...

United States health official Dr. Mehmet Oz says about 400 ostriches at a British Columbia farm facing an avian flu cull should instead be saved and sent to America to learn potential "secrets" that have helped them survive an outbreak of the disease. The former TV personality and surgeon who is now the admin...