How to keep your kids safe at the pool, beach and cottage this summer

The season for pool parties, beach excursions and trips to the cottage has begun. Sadly, some of these events turn tragic each year and drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years old in Canada. 

Here are some tips from the Lifesaving Society of Canada on how to keep your kids — and yourself — safe:  

When kids are in the water, they should always be within arm's reach of an adult. It only takes seconds for a child to drown. 

Province releases new Environmental Farm Plan

Alberta's Environmental Farm Plan program has released its latest version of the webbook.

Version 4.0  is more streamlined and includes an optional beekeeping chapter and an online renewal option.

Farmers can renew their EFP online without having to complete a new workbook each time. 

It's important to note that producers that may still be working on the 3.1 version of the EVP have until June 30th to complete it.

After the June 30th deadline producers will be required to use the new 4.0 version.

The Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster focuses on key research

Results from eight research activities are included in the Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster (ICAC)  summary document.

The new report outlines the projects which range from soil health to herbicide resistance and climate change adaptation. 

Some of the other projects focused on the coordination of crop insects and disease monitoring, assessing and managing spray drift, developing a risk model for mitigating Fusarium head blight, development, and management of productive, resilient, and sustainable cropping.

The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network welcomed a new member

Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (or EMILI) out of Manitoba has joined the group.

The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network was launched in 2021, it's a network of Smart Farms from across the Prairies.

Network participants include Olds College which leads the program, as well as Lakeland College out of Alberta,  the Discovery Farm and the U of S Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE)  in Saskatchewan and from Manitoba - EMILI and the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc. 

Menzies takes on new role

Olds College of Agriculture & Technology Board of Governors has a new Chair. 

Ted Menzies will serve in the role after being a member of the Board since 2020,

A former MP Menzies had a career in primary production and policy development for the agri-food sector and international trade.

Free breast cancer screening coming to Fort Saskatchewan and Morinville

A mobile mammography service will be visiting both Fort Saskatchewan and Morinville this month.

The service will first be offered at the Morinville Clinic from June 16 to 20 before coming to the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital between June 21 to 24. 

A mammogram is essentially an X-ray of the breast tissue. 

Chidi Okoli, the health promotion facilitator with Alberta Health Services, says mammograms are very important in identifying and treating breast cancer. 

CYL take part in Spring Forum

Participants in the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program gathered in Calgary this week for their annual Spring Forum.

This annual event brings together the program’s 16 participants from across Canada for three days of industry tours, classroom sessions, and networking events.

The CCA's Youth Leadership Co-ordinator Jessica Radau says it's a great opportunity for the group.

Bisonfest returns to Elk Island National Park for first time since pandemic

For the first time in almost four years, Bisonfest is returning to Elk Island National Park (EINP).

On Saturday (June 3), the park will be hosting a celebration for a century of bison conservation at the park.

There are a few new attractions coming for Bisonfest that were not around before the pandemic.

"We have a new paddle rental operation, and they'll be having voyager canoe rides," said Sherri Fownes, Visitor Experience Product Development Officer with EINP. 

Other activities happening for Bisonfest include:

Cereals Canada reports keeps global customers informed

Cereals Canada is back with its regular Growing Season Progress Report for the 2023 Prairie wheat crop

Director of market intelligence and trade policy Leif Carlson says global customers want to know how the Canadian wheat crop is progressing over the growing season.

The report focuses on seeding, crop conditions and quality, and harvest for wheat in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. 

The information is presented in a user-friendly format with provincial highlights, maps, and links to crop reports, as well as historical data for the past three years.