Trailblazers

On the Alberta-Montana border, set above the surrounding plains, is a unique expanse of glacial-formed prairie grasslands. Known as the Milk River Ridge, the area features rolling fescue hills, with pockets of wetlands that provide critical habitat to many sensitive and at-risk species of wildlife.   On the northern slope of the ridge, west of…

Harwinder Sidhu, the new Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) winter wheat breeder, didn’t always plan to become a plant breeder. It wasn’t a straightforward path to plant breeding for Harwinder Sidhu. He started in his home country of India studying agricultural sciences for his undergraduate degree with a focus on soil science. From there Sidhu…

A decade ago, the craft beer industry in Alberta took off. With major policy changes to minimum production capacities in the mid 2010s, smaller craft breweries tripled in just a few years. As brewing increased in Alberta, so did the hops, grain, and barley farmers – disrupting the province’s agriculture industry and growing a base…

Rodeo’s roots are firmly planted in ranching tradition, and the connection remains strong today among many of the sport’s top competitors. In fact, for rancher Scott Guenthner, the current Canadian Steer Wrestling Champion, the pull of life at home led him to choose a rodeo route limited to only Canadian events. While that still involves…

By Ross Hecox for the National Ranching Heritage Center, Texas Tech University Uncomfortable silence fell across the room as Minnie Lou Ottinger and Rusty Bradley stared at each other across the dining table.  Although it has been 71 years since that moment, Minnie Lou still vividly remembers how the Bradley family and several seasoned cowboys…

This fall, seven champions of Canadian agriculture will have their names recorded in the history books as the 2023 inductees to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. “This year’s inductees come from across the country and across a wide array of sectors of the Canadian agricultural landscape, and we are so excited to welcome them…

The Canadian Cattle Foundation was honoured to mark the creation of the Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award, to support the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) Program at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. The first recipient of this award is Carling Matejka from Ponoka, Alberta. Carling was presented the award by members of the Schellenberg…

4-H members around the province have many opportunities to participate in 4-H Alberta events. The 4-H Alberta Provincial Carcass Competition is a relatively new competition moving into its fifth year of completion. The program has grown from approximately 40 members to more than 120 members competing in this great initiative that focuses on the carcass…

Since 1992, Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) has recognized farms and ranches across the province whose natural resource stewardship practices contribute to the environment and enhance productivity and profitability. Alberta Beef Producers, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada are pleased to announce Wray Ranch and the Wray family as the recipients of the…

As grasslands continue to vanish across the Northern Great Plains, a historic conservation partnership aims to protect a vast swath of intact native prairie on a well-known Southern Alberta ranch. The McIntyre Ranch, established 130 years ago south of Lethbridge, has entered into a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Ducks…