Lacombe

Lack of progress means time is growing short to get a successfull crop into the ground in Southern Alberta.

Contract negotiations are dragging on for Alberta sugar beet producers.

It’s already early May, and Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Rogers Sugar, the sole sugar-beet processing plant left in Canada, still haven’t hammered out a deal.

Jennifer Crowson, executive director with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, cautioned the Western Producer in an email that she was limited in what she can share, other than that they are still in active negotiations.

Ponoka mayor Kevin Ferguson penned a letter today thanking residents for their generosity and unity following a multi-family house fire on Tuesday.

Thank You Ponoka!  

The past week has been devastating for the six families in our community who lost their homes to fire. Out of that devastation has come an overwhelming and immediate outpouring of strength and caring from our community.  

Ponoka has rescheduled a temporary power outage that was planned for this morning due to the rainy weather.

The new power outage time will be tomorrow (May 13) from 8:30 a.m. to about 10 a.m. (weather permitting).

The planned outage will affect properties along the following streets as crews conduct electrical maintenance:

• Between 51 Street and 50 Street; and

• Between 59 Avenue Close and 60 Avenue located north and west of the Kinsmen/Kinette Park ball diamond.

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) officially broke ground on the expansion of its Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing – Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC) today. Scheduled for completion in fall 2026, the expansion will increase the facility’s size from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet. 

A Red Deer high school student has been selected to join the nation’s top high school football talent at the 2025 CFC Prospect Game in Hamilton, Ontario, later this month. 

École Secondaire Notre Dame High School’s Ben McAuley, a member of the school’s Senior Cougars Football Team, is one of 72 invitees to the game, which has been presented annually by Canadafootballchat.com (CFC) and The Sports Network (TSN).   

Alberta’s government is supporting apprenticeship training with an investment of $25 million for the expansion of the W.J. Elliott building at Olds College. 

To help address the increased demand for apprentices and skilled journeypersons, Alberta’s government is investing $25 million through Budget 2025 for the expansion and renovation of the W.J. Elliott building at Olds College.  

The Red Deer Rebels have announced that due to personal reasons, Dave Struch is unable to continue as the club’s head coach.

Struch joined the Rebels as Interim Head Coach in March 2024 and guided the club to a second-round playoff appearance. He was named full-time Head Coach prior to the 2024-25 season.

New mandate called good time to overhaul business risk management programs and other policies that could help agriculture

Prime minister Mark Carney will name his cabinet May 12, and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has some advice for the incoming agriculture minister.

Kody Blois from the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants served briefly after Carney replaced Justin Trudeau and is a strong candidate to continue.

Follow all our Federal Election 2025 coverage here

CANTERRA SEEDS recently announced it would be acquiring Alliance Seed, saying the move would strengthen their seed business and expand distribution across Western Canada.

The pedigreed seed operation will continue to operate as a standalone brand under CANTERRA SEEDS’s umbrella, with key staff transitioning to maintain continuity and customer relationships.

Brent Derkatch, CEO of CANTERRA SEEDS says Alliance Seed has built an impressive portfolio and a network supported by committed seed growers. 

It appears the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China are delaying the proposed merger between Bunge and Viterra.

China has not yet approved the $34 billion merger between the two ag giants. 

The deal has received antitrust clearance from the European Union and Canada, but the transaction remains stalled in China
 due to what many people say is a result of trade tensions between the United States and China.

The merger was originally announced in 2023.