Western theme highlights annual tour

The first hint of yellow in the poplar trees means Fall is in the air; and it is also a sign for the annual Alberta Farm Writers Association tour.

The group will meet at Cochrane's Bow River Inn around 7 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11. From there, tour vans will leave Cochrane and head to Chain Lakes.

A highlight of the tour this year will be the stream assessment at Mount Sentinel Ranch. Lorne Fitch and Barry Adams, with the Cows and Fish Program, are master communicators and wonderful to listen to. They are very interested in finding out how our group fares in assessing the health of riparian habitats

Lunch on Thursday will be spent at the Bar U Ranch, the National Historic Site at Longview.

From there, Pat Ramsey, beef specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, will conduct a tour of Bart Brocklebank's Italian rye grass field at High River. Brocklebank is participating in a Farming for the Future project for forage banking.

A tour of Equine Reproduction Services Inc. at Turner Valley will explore one of North America's premiere stallion stations and breeding facilities. From there, it's off to Bragg Creek and Elkana Ranch for a hearty, western-style barbecue and the annual meeting.

The tour concludes on Friday in Cochrane. From Spray Lakes Saw Mills to the Western Heritage Centre and Alta Genetics, the day will wrap up around 3 p.m.

Rooms are reserved at the Bow River Inn at Cochrane. Those needing a room Thursday night should call the Inn at 403-932-7900, and indicate they are with the Alberta Farm Writers Association.

Farm writers still interested in attending the tour, please contact Tracey Feist at 403-932-7595, or Colin Campbell at 403-495-4186.

Canadian farm writers to meet in Ontario

Farm writers from across Canada will gather together for the annual Canadian Farm Writers' Federation annual conference, Oct. 23-26 in Niagara Falls.

The "Value-Added" conference, as it has been termed, will include keynote addresses from the Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as Federal Minister of Agriculture Lyle Vanclief.

A full day of touring is planned for Friday, Oct. 24, with stops at various greenhouses and vineyards, as well as an ostrich and fruit farm, and the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.

Saturday's agenda focuses on various information sessions, relating directly to agriculture today and in the future.

The much anticipated CFWF awards banquet takes place Saturday night, followed by a Sunday morning annual meeting. For more information, please check your mail for the September issue of the CFWF newsletter, The Farm Journalist.

Roster lists new members

A belated welcome to all new members of the Alberta Farm Writers Association.

Over the past several months, we have seen our membership rising; today, we stand at 62 members.

A full list of members, complete with phone numbers, etc., is available in the 1997 CFWF Roster. All AFWA members should have received a roster -- if you did not, please contact Scoops editor, Janet Kanters, or CFWF Secretary-Treasurer Hugh Maynard (514-457-2010).

If you know of someone who may be interested in an AFWA membership, please forward his or her name on to Janet, and she will send that person a Membership Application.

Let's continue our membership growth!

Let's keep Scoops alive

For almost three years, we have relied on the generosity of Alberta farm writers to help keep Scoops alive. And it's time again to call upon the beneficence of farm writers to help us ensure that Scoops continues to be a solid presence in our Association.

If you think you could help us out, please call Scoops editor, Janet Kanters (403-926-2157) as soon as possible. She can give you cost figures for each issue of the newsletter, and answer any questions you may have on publication matters.

Let's keep Scoops alive. Thanks in advance.

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