Greg Price, The Western Producer

The province’s Rat Control Program has helped make it one of the few rat-free zones in the world

Alberta is marking 75 years of rat-free status.

An aggressive control program had made it the largest inhabited area in the world that is free of true rats.

There is no resident population of rats, and the rodents are not allowed to establish themselves.

Massive storm in southeastern Alberta causes significant damage to crops and reported deaths of livestock

The numbers are still coming in for the cost of the damage caused by a huge hail storm that hit various areas of Alberta Aug. 20.

The storm ripped its way through vast swaths of land from Cayley, Milo and Brooks to the Saskatchewan border, as well as Camrose to the Viking, Edberg, Sedgewick, and Hughenden areas.

The Alberta government is streamlining its process for restoring watersheds.

The province is removing the requirement to have a temporary diversion licence as part of a riparian restoration project.

The government said it expects the change to cut red tape, keep plants alive and ensure that the time and money put into watershed restoration projects are not wasted.

“Freedom to water is about cutting through the clutter of bureaucracy so real work can happen,” provincial environment minister Rebecca Schulz said in a press release.

Company works with Farming Smarter Association as it searches for options other than the century-old Russet Burbank variety.

Russet Burbank has been the go to potato variety for Canadian farmers and consumers.

This year, McCain Foods in Chin, Alta., has entered a corporate partnership with the Farming Smarter Association to explore the viability of other varieties in its food processing plant for farmers to consider.

Farming Smarter is using one of its commercial plots to do a research trial growing four varieties using six treatments.

 Irrican owns multiple hydroelectric facilities and solar sites

A new battery storage facility is helping power two southern Alberta irrigation districts.

Irrican Power, a renewable energy producer, comprised of the St. Mary River Irrigation District and Raymond Irrigation District, has announced the commissioning of the Raymond Enhanced Battery and Renewables Project.

The eBAR facility is located at the Raymond Irrican Hydropower Plant near Raymond.

InteliRain is like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but for irrigation farmers — getting their fields “just right” for water distribution.

The Calgary-based company uses an automated variable rate irrigation system that allows growers to maximize yields, minimize workloads and conserve water.

The Municipal District of Taber administers public land that had been previously turned over to it by the Alberta government.

Alberta municipal leaders are eyeing the Municipal District of Taber as it grapples with striking the right balance between stewardship and the responsibility of raising an appropriate amount of revenue for its agricultural lands on behalf of ratepayers.

Initiatives in Saskatchewan and Alberta recognize some of the country’s most extensive and unique remaining prairie ecosystems.

There’s a new focus on protecting biodiversity in native prairie grasslands in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta.

It’s coming in the form of new “key biodiversity area” designations, denoting they’re home to species at risk in this rapidly vanishing landscape.

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.

Southern Alberta farmer has long-standing issues with supply-management system for smaller egg producers like himself.

A southern Alberta egg producer who had been jailed for missing a court date for violating the provincial laws governing egg production has passed a premises inspection by Egg Farmers of Alberta.

Henk Van Essen said an inspector only spent a few minutes inside his operation before coming back out and telling him he was in full compliance.

“They were so sure they were going to find thousands of chickens in this barn,” Van Essen said.