Airdrie

County of Newell takes over Crop Diversification Centre South and hopes to attract dozens of tenants for the $100 million facility

Like the mighty Phoenix, the County of Newell is hoping the Crop Diversification Centre South in Brooks, Alta., will rise from the ashes and regain the prominence it once had in agricultural research.

The Stampede breakfast tradition is older than the Midway’s wildest ride — and in 2025, it’s still going strong with dozens of free breakfasts across Calgary, Airdrie, Okotoks, and Rocky View County.

Whether you’re chasing classic pancakes and sausage or tracking down green tea stacks and Ghanaian dishes, this year’s Stampede circuit has something for every appetite. Most events are walk-up, all-ages, and cost nothing — but you’ll want to arrive early.

June brought its share of thunderstorm activity to the Prairies.

The Canadian Crop Hail Association says mid-June thunderstorms damaged crops across Western Canada, dropping pea- to toonie-sized hail.
 
CCHA member companies are investigating more than 900 claims of crop damage from hailstorms that occurred June 13-20. The majority of the claims were filed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Farmers have been out evaluating crop damage to determine the impact, as some crops can recover depending on the damage and the stage of the crop.

Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer has approved a citizen initiative application proposing the question:

“Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”

In a June 30 news release from Elections Alberta, it was confirmed that Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure had issued a Notice of Initiative Petition after determining that the application met the requirements under Section 2(3) of the Citizens' Initiative Act.

Some parents in Airdrie are facing uncertainty after learning that the Little Steps Before and After School Care program at St. Veronica School will no longer offer its services at the school this fall. The decision was made due to rising student enrollment, which means that the previously utilized space by the program will be repurposed for additional classrooms.

Airdrie's rodeo grounds will be showcased in an upcoming movie called Cowboy.

Filming took place on Monday, June 30, and Airdronians were invited to be extras within the movie watching the rodeo.

According to the Airdrie Pro Rodeo social media post, the movie is about a washed-up rodeo cowboy and a young hopeful who embark on a journey through the American West. Navigating the highs and lows of the rodeo circuit, personal demons, and the harsh realities of their chosen lifestyle.

Tara Sawyer, the Member of Legislative Assembly for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, is excited to serve her riding.

Sawyer is a farmer and business owner who lives near Acme. She has served as Chair of Grain Growers of Canada and Alberta Grains, becoming the first woman elected to both roles.

"I'm excited and I'm humbled and honoured at the trust that the people of the riding are putting in me, I don't take that lightly, so I'm looking forward to working on their behalf."

She went on to talk about her campaign and what her main goals were.

This summer, Rocky View County is going head-to-head in a battle against pests and invasive weed species.

"Weed inspectors will be throughout the County this summer inspecting private, public, and municipal property to help stop the spread of regulated weeds listed as noxious and prohibited noxious under Alberta’s Weed Control Act."

These weeds can create significant economic, ecological and environmental problems by crowding out native plants, lowering biodiversity, harming soil and water quality, and disrupting agricultural production.

With the grazing season underway there are some things producers can look at to help gauge the health of their rangelands. One indicator is the species composition; this includes which species and types of plants you are seeing as well as amount of each species. 3 terms that we often hear when talking about range health are decreaser, increaser, and invader which can be used to describe how plants respond to grazing pressure.

The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) has released its monthly statistics for June, and Airdrie has a few interesting trends.

Due to a sharp decline in detached activity, sales in June fell to 164 units, according to CREB.

"The pullback in sales was met with 324 new listings, causing the sales-to-new listings ratio to drop to 51 per cent, the lowest ratio reported in June since 2018."

The growing gap between sales and new listings led to more inventory, pushing the months of supply above three for the first time since 2020.