Time for a Check-up? Workshop on Monitoring Pasture Health

An exciting Upcoming Event hosted by Mountain View County and Grey Wooded Forage Association.  It will take place near Olds...not too far away.  This is one to take in if you can!  Here's the poster for it.  Contact Grey Wooded Forage Association to register or for more info.

Sustainable Grazing Mentorship Program

Well, here we are well into the 2011 forage growing season...
I thought now might be a good time to remind producers about an amazing resource available to you: the Sustainable Grazing Mentorship Program.

This link takes you to a brochure on the program: http://www.areca.ab.ca/images/stories/Files/ARECA/SGMP_Brochure_2010.pdf

The program is delivered by the Applied Research and Extension Council of Alberta.

And the Emerald Award Winners Are... ... ... The Off the Creek Landowners!!

On Wednesday, June 15, at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, the Off the Creek Landowners were named as one of the 2011 Emerald Award Winners.

A very big congratulations goes out to all 44 of the Landowners!  You deserve it.  The title of your nomination was "Leaders by Example", which is of course exactly what you are.

Two of the Off the Creek Landowners attended the ceremonies.  Murray Stauffer accepted the Emerald Award on behalf of all the Landowners.  You can read an interview with Murray in an article from the Red Deer Advocate, at:

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/Landowners_strike_Emerald_124066879.html

Watch for an article about the Emerald Award in the July 2011 edition of the County News (which, in case you don't get it at home, will be posted online at http://www.rdcounty.ca/news/county-newsletter )

Also, Stephen Smith helped the nomination by being interviewed as part of a video that was shown at the Emerald Awards Gala.  The video is now online, at: http://www.emeraldfoundation.ca/recipients/community (make sure you scroll down the screen to find the video...)

I'd also like to make a mention of Don and Marie Ruzicka, who farm in the Iron Creek watershed east of Camrose.  They also won an Emerald Award, for their environmental efforts with their farming operation.  Their video is found at: http://www.emeraldfoundation.ca/recipients/individual-ruzicka

Congratulations to all the winners!

Off the Creek Landowners a 2011 Emerald Award Finalist

Congratulations to the Off the Creek Landowners!  They have made it to the next step in the Emerald Awards...they are now a finalist.

The 44 Off the Creek Landowners have together done over 50 projects on their land, to benefit creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes and native range.

On June 15, we'll all find out if the Landowners become an Emerald Award winner! 

UPCOMING EVENT: Ladies Livestock Lessons Coming Up

Register today...it's coming fast: June 15 and 16, 2011.

This is one that ranch and farm ladies don't want to miss. Registration is capped at 40 people to make this an even greater learning opportunity.

For information, including agenda and highlights from past years, and an on-line registration form, see the Ladies Livestock Lessons webpage:

http://ladieslivestocklessons.blogspot.com/

Off the Creek "hits the road"

In the last two weeks, along with Cows and Fish, we held two "Community Conversations" about riparian areas in Red Deer County.  They were held on the last two Tuesday evenings, and were well attended (though the second suffered from the latest spring snowstorm...)

The first was held with landowners living beside or near Adams Lake, a small lake in the west part of the County.  The second was with landowners who own land along Gaetz Creek or its tributaries.

The purpose of the meetings was to share ideas about the riparian areas around the lake or along the creek, and to hear what residents had to say about them and wanted to do about them.  We also established 4 clear actions to take in each community, by consensus of those in attendance. 

Some of the actions that will be pursued are:

• Riparian Health Inventories around Adams Lake
• Riparian Health Field days, in both communities
• Education / awareness campaign in the Gaetz Creek watershed.

With the communities, we'll work on taking these and the other action ideas and making them a reality.

Emerald Award Nomination: Congratulations to Off the Creek Landowners!

Red Deer County's Agricultural Services Board has nominated the Off the Creek Landowners for a 2011 Emerald Award!!

The "Landowners" are the 44 people in Red Deer County who have done a total of 55 projects to benefit riparian health.  This has all happened just since 2006, with funding support from the Alberta Conservation Association and the County. 

Info on the Emerald Awards can be found at: http://www.emeraldfoundation.ca/emerald-awards/

Stay tuned...we'll learn in the next few weeks if the Off the Creek Landowners are "shortlisted"...the award winners are announced in June.