MD Ag and Environmental Services hosts open house

 Esther Neufeld and Kelly Cooley
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis

The MD of Pincher Creek Agriculture and Environmental Services Department hosted an Open House at the new MD building on Friday March 2. The event was very well attended, with an estimated 75 to 90 MD residents dropping in to check out the new building, learn about weeds, eat lunch with one another from the free beef on a bun buffet, converse, and check out the vendors and displays in the new council chambers.

Councillor Garry Marchuk checks out Room To Grow's selection

Several local enterprises were present to demonstrate wares produced in the area, and there were several information stations. Representatives from council, administration, the Ag Services board, and the Agriculture and Environmental Services Department were on hand to answer questions related to their fields of expertise, and there were good neighbourly conversations to be had at every turn.

Dallis McGlynn and Dew Patterson

One booth was manned by TreeTime.ca General Manager Drew Patterson. TreeTime is an Edmonton-based company that sells trees, shrubs, and berry seedlings. They are a major supplier of shelterbelt trees to southern Alberta.

"The PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration) made recommendations on the various species that they had and every province has a slightly different mix of shelter belt trees," Patterson told me. "We have about 80 to 90 different species of ours that are considered shelterbelt species, and we help people by doing shelterbelt presentations. They can phone and talk to us. We do first, second, third, fourth, however many rows they need, and doing some of that planning and making the considerations that work well for their area, and the space of their land, and were the prevailing winds are coming from. Southern Alberta has a lot of specific needs that are unique to the area. There aren't as many choices that will stand up to the fierce winds."

"We harvest our trees in the fall, bundle them, grade them, put them into a plastic liner and then into a wax lined box, and then they are stored at -3° Celsius in our frozen warehouse. It's kind of a warm winter for them, so they don't go through undue stress, and a constant temperature is really good for them, as well. Then we put all of our trees on the website January 1." 

As an interesting aside, according to Patterson Caragana is one of the more effective forms of shelterbelt fauna for southern Alberta.   Although considered by many to be an invasive species, caragana is able to thrive in the high winds that frequently assail the area, providing protection for more susceptible foliage.

Weed wisdom

"I just started with the MD last year, in February," said Assistant Agricultural Fieldman Lindsey Cockerill. "My biggest thing would be the extension services. I've really been pushing the environmental farm plans, and I'm the key contact for anyone that's looking to do a funding application under Growing Forward 2."

According to the Growing Forward 2 website, it is a Government of Alberta initiative which  "provides programs and services to achieve a profitable, sustainable, competitive and innovative agriculture, agri-food and agri-products industry that is market-responsive, and that anticipates and adapts to changing circumstances and is a major contributor to the well-being of Canadians."*

"We'll get you started, and pointed in the right direction."

"Alberta Ag has kind of assigned a specific person to oversee each and every one of their programs. So we can get them started, let them know what they need to do, and then get them in contact with that key person, and they can really help them out."

"I'm going ahead to become an actual environmental farm plan technician, so I can write the actual approval letters for producers that apply."

"Mostly it's an understanding of the environmental farm plan workbook. How it's set up, how to answer the questions, because some of it is a little bit tricky."

I asked MD of Pincher Creek Agricultural Fieldman Shane Poulsen about the inclusion of vendors at the event, something I hadn't seen happen before in the smaller confines of the old MD building basement where it was held in previous years. 

Shane Poulsen and Russ Friesen

"That was something that Susan (Vogelaar) and Lindsey have been working on right from the get-go," he explained.  Susan Vogelaar is the Agricultural Service Board Chair, and was also helping host the event.

"We ran it through the Ag Service Board, and they wanted to get some people out to do that, to get some of the local producers out that have a harder time getting noticed, smaller producers, and some of the specialty items of our area. Next year there will be more."

John Lawson and Susan Vogelaar

I asked Poulsen if many people were talking to him about weeds during the event.  He pointed to the tastefully arranged display of weed literature sitting lonely in the corner and said "I think people are so used to that that we're kind of leaving them alone. We've got all the stuff over there, but it's something that we spend all summer doing, so we didn't try to focus on it this time."

If you're curious about a potential weed on your property Poulsen said "Phone us and ask for Shane or Lindsey (Cockerill), and we're quite willing to come out and identify it for you."

"Lindsey and Susan do a lot of this stuff. Lindsey will be handling a lot of the 'Growing Forward' and Ag Environmental stuff, and if you need an environmental farm plan done, she's the girl to talk to.
"Anything agriculture or environmental, the province and feds offer money for stuff." As examples he cited riparian enhancements, off stream waters, and fencing.

"Run it through our office, and we'll be available to be the expertise on that."

"The biggest job for us is weeds. Just based on the proximity to BC and the States, a lot of stuff comes in."

"It's an ongoing thing. I remember years ago we had five or six weeds out there, now we have forty. We are kind of like the buffer zone for the rest of the province, as far as that goes."

"We go out to an area and take samples, and see if there is club root, which we have none of."

"Rats are something else we do. If we get a report we go out and make sure it's not a rat, but we're far enough away that you don't get too many of them."

I asked Poulsen about the summer jobs the MD recently advertised for various outdoor summer positions, including weed spraying.  "Are they popular positions for young adults?" I asked.  " Yes, and they like working outside, they enjoy working outside a lot, that's what gets those kids coming back. We get about 50% return (students)."

"I started out as a weed sprayer way back when, too."

Former Agricultural Fieldman Kelly Cooley was also present, happy to explain weed issues and other items of interest such as the deadstock removal program. 

Heather Dodd with a selection of Room To Grow products

Pioneer Market mainstay Heather Dodd womaned a display of Room To Grow Market Farm pesticide free products.  Dodd farms with her husband Norman near Glenwood, where they produce a large range of fresh, preserved, and frozen fruits, eggs, herbs, and meats. They also run a U-Pick operation that includes a wide assortment of berries. They also raise and sell purebred Simmental cattle.  Heather is also a watercolour and acrylic artist of considerable talent and fame.

Esther Neufeld had a table set up displaying "Buzzy Brand" honey and "Handy Dandy" soaps, all-natural products she produces with her partner Phil at their farm north of town, south of the Porcupines.  Phil too was in attendance, waxing loquacious on various subjects as is his wont and speciality.

Brian O'Sullivan with a selection of Honey Bearie Heaven products

Brian O'Sullivan was manning the Honey Bearie Heaven display, which featured free samples of Haskap, a delightful berry first developed in Japan and now successfully grown by Brian and his partner Barbara Shenton at their Gladstone Valley farm.  They also run a U-Pick there, by appointment only, and sell preserves.

Heavenly Haskap

Haskap, also known as Blue Honeysuckle, is a tremendous treat, sweet but not over-sweet, tart but not over-tart, plump and colorful.  It's apparently very high in antioxidants and contains high levels of vitiamin C.  Did I mention that it's utterly delicious?  It is.  Apparently it's great with yoghurt, which I can't eat.  I likes mine raw.  In addition to Haskap, Honey Bearie Heaven grows raspberries, plums, crab apples, gooseberries, strawberries, and sour cherries.

One might suspect Tony Bruder eats a lot of cabbage...

Another display manned by Tony Bruder compared  the amount of hormones present in 3 ounce servings of cabbage, peas, potatoes, and beef.  The results were definitely not what I expected, with cabbage by far having the most hormones and beef by far the least.

Hormone comparison

Lorraine Bruder also informed me that celery is very high in estrogen.

Yak man Russ Friesen

Last, but definitely not least, Russ and Melissa Friesen were on hand with their delicious Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef products, which they produce at their ranch just east of Pincher Creek.  A nicer couple you'll never meet, and you haven't lived until you've tried a yak burger and yak steak.  Primo stuff.

Area rancher Leonard McGlynn checking out the new MD digs 

Related links:

TreeTime.ca

Room To Grow Market Farm/NHD Simmentals
Honey Bearie Heaven

Growing Forward Alberta*
Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross BeefFood For Breast Cancer (celery)
What’s the Beef? M&Ms and Hormones

MD of Pincher Creek

Correction:  Esther Neufeld was improperly named in this article, which has now been corrected.  My apologies.