Cochrane

Farm groups are asking for federal action on regulation and trade amid mounting financial pressures and tariff fears

Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture want governments to consider agriculture more often when setting priorities.

They are ramping up pressure on governments to prioritize agriculture in trade, regulation and disaster response as farmers face worsening drought and mounting financial strain.

The Western Canadian Baseball League’s most familiar playoff rivalry is back for a fourth straight summer, as the Okotoks Dawgs and Sylvan Lake Gulls square off once again in the West Division final.

The Gulls wrapped up their series against the Lethbridge Bulls in two straight games to once again face the Dawgs, who awaited the result.

Game 1 is Sunday (Aug. 10) at 2:05 p.m. at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. The series shifts to Sylvan Lake the next night at 7:05 p.m. Should a third game be required, it will return to Okotoks on Tuesday night, also starting at 7:05 p.m.

Get ready to ride — youth entries for the Cochrane Lions Labour Day Weekend Rodeo open tomorrow!

Sign up Sunday, Aug. 10 between 9 a.m. and noon by calling 403-932-3928 — no emails for these events.

From mutton bustin’ to wild pony racing, some of the most beloved events of the Labour Day weekend give the youngest riders their moment to shine during the 59th annual rodeo, Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.

Canada's 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record.

The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.

That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972.

Ottawa is hiking entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists, Prime Minister Mark Carney said at CFB Trenton on Friday.

That means the annual salary for a new recruit will go from $43,368 to $52,044.

Other military members will also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a broader plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness. The new pay hikes will be retroactive to April 1 of this year.

Glyphosate, a key product that is used by a number of farmers, could be coming to an end.

Bill Anderson, the CEO of Bayer, noted on Wednesday that the company will be forced to end its US production of glyphosate, unless regulatory or legal changes are made to prevent litigation.

The Okotoks Dawgs are heading back to the West Division final in the Western Canadian Baseball League after dispatching the Brooks Bombers in two straight games.

The Dawgs capped the best-of-three semifinal series with a dominant 9–2 win on the road Thursday night.

The Bombers remain winless in postseason play.

The Dawgs, who are chasing their fourth straight WCBL championship, now await the winner of the other West Division semifinal between the Sylvan Lake Gulls and the Lethbridge Bulls.

Harvest operations are slowly starting to get underway. Crop condition and staging across the Prairies is variable depending on location and rainfall patterns.

In Manitoba, early reports of swathing in canola have come in from the Interlake and Central regions, along with some winter cereals.

Oilseed Specialist Sonia Wilson put together this week's Manitoba Crop Report.

Advance polls in a historic federal byelection for Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot open today.

For the first time ever, Elections Canada says voters must fill out a blank ballot.

The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with voting day on Aug. 18.

The majority are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group calling for various changes to Canada's electoral system.

Cochrane Food Fest is back for its fifth year this Sunday, August 10, and organizers are adding a whole new layer of fun to the already-packed event lineup: a lettuce eating competition.

“We thought it would be hilarious and different,” said Kailey Mitchell with Quirk Social, the team behind the annual festival. “There are so many eating competitions out there, but most of them involve something greasy or super heavy. We figured, why not go the healthy—and hilarious—route with iceberg lettuce?”

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