This past fall, Northwest Polytechnic (NWP) in Grande Prairie launched its new two-year Agriculture Operations Diploma Program. “The program is unique because it focuses on preparing people to work in the ag industry on farms, in retail and in sales,” said NWP agriculture operations instructor Josefine Bartlett. The program’s curriculum balances agricultural theory with hands-on experience, and the school year aligns with the seasonal demands faced by students who live and work on family farms, she added. “It’s a one-of-a-kind program with nothing else quite like it across Canada.”

Seed growers are at the forefront of advancement in crop production, said Kelly Chambers, executive director of Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers (ABCSG). They specialize in production and multiplication of plant breeder stock that produces certified, blue tag seed for commercial production. Alberta’s 662 certified seed growers farmed 307,711 acres of pedigreed seed in 2024, about 25 per cent of Canadian pedigreed acreage.

Summer wildfires are commonplace in Alberta, but this year’s unusually warm, dry spring produced an especially difficult season. Fires sprung up earlier than usual and grew larger and burned longer than normal. They also encroached on farmland where they destroyed pastures and fences and depleted food and water sources for livestock as farmers scrambled to repair the damage.

The first all-weather road to link Alberta’s Peace Country to the rest of the world was built in the 1930s. As road trips go, it was a doozy. The dirt track was no more than a glorified trail that linked Edmonton with Fort St. John in northeast British Columbia by way of Lesser Slave Lake. A South Peace Historical Society writeup describes it as “a twisting, squirming route that turned into an impassable bog of gumbo after frequent cloudbursts.” It was known locally as the worst road in North America. 

The cover story of our upcoming fall issue, “The Peace process” encompasses a discussion as wide as the Peace itself. It may be literally located in the backwoods, but the Peace is full of farmers who are forward thinking, quick on their feet and always on the lookout for new ways to outplay local climate extremes and build business opportunities.

Farmers near High Level have reason to celebrate as Richardson Pioneer is set to begin accepting grain at its all-new high-throughput elevator by mid-November.

When it comes to gambling with nature, irrigation may be a Prairie farmer’s ace in the hole. While competition for water resources between users is increasing, innovation in irrigation technology is
providing new tools to help farmers stack the deck in their favour.