Agriculture
Farm families honoured for +100 years on the land
Farm families honoured at Ukrainian Village
August 01, 2018
Alberta families who have farmed the same land for 100 years or more are being recognized with Century Farm and Ranch awards.
Recipients of the award receive a bronze plaque to commemorate this significant milestone. A total of 96 families are being recognized across the province, including 17 families who will be honoured at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village on Aug. 2.
“Agriculture is at the core of who we are as Albertans. It’s an integral part of the foundation of our province’s cultural heritage, our strong economy and our vibrant rural communities. It is an honour to recognize these founding families and their legacy. Our government continues to support the sustainable growth of our local food industry and the hard-working entrepreneurs in this sector.”
Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
“There are not very many farms that make it to 100 years in one family. We feel very lucky to have stayed together on this land. I’ve been here from the time when we were seeding land with a team of four horses to the modern tractors now. I have to say, I prefer the air conditioned cabs!”
Steve Holowaychuk of Smoky Lake, Century Farm and Ranch Award recipient
Since 1993, more than 1,750 families have received the Government of Alberta’s Century Farm and Ranch awards.
Agriculture is the province’s largest renewable industry, with exports valued at more than $11 billion annually. There are more than 40,000 farms in Alberta, totalling more than 50 million acres.
Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award recipients being recognized at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village:
- The Austin Family of Paradise Valley
- The Botten Family of Boyle
- The Cadieux Family of Lac La Biche
- The Chomik Family of Bruce
- The Flack Family of Spedden
- The Fletcher Family of Wainwright
- The Francis Family of Ardrossan
- The Giebelhaus Family of Bruce
- The Goldsmith Family of Dewberry
- The Holowaychuk Family of Smoky Lake
- The Johnson Family of Lloydminster
- The Kiziak Family of Derwent
- The Koles Family of Willingdon
- The Lundgren Family of St. Paul
- The Minailo Family of Willingdon
- The Skoreyko Family of Bellis
- The Zazula Family of St. Michael
Statistics Canada says fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022, due to factors such as ongoing supply chain issues, labour shortages and price increases. Assorted fruit is shown at a market in Montreal on Thursday, June 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Statistics Canada says fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022, due to factors such as ongoing supply chain issues, labour shortages and price increases.
StatCan says the amount of available fresh fruit declined by more than five per cent in 2022 from the previous year, to 72.9 kilograms per person.
Even though there was a 12.7 per cent increase in domestic fruit production, it was not enough to keep up with an increase in exports and a decrease in imports, the agency says in a report released today.
The availability of fresh vegetables — excluding potatoes — was 64.7 kilograms per person in 2022, a decrease of nearly six per cent from 2021.
Just like with fruits, Canada’s vegetable production increases in 2022 were not enough to keep up with a rise in exports and a drop in imports, StatCan says.
The agency says some Canadian food industry sectors experienced record production in 2022, but also exported more food internationally than the previous year.
It says the entire industry was affected by pandemic-related supply chain issues, such as shipping delays and shortages of labour and products.
StatCan also cites price increases as one of the factors. Extreme weather, the war in Ukraine and energy costs severely impacted global food prices last year.
Food inflation was stubbornly high in Canada in 2022, outpacing overall inflation. Grocery prices were up 9.8 per cent in 2022 compared with 2021, the fastest pace since 1981.
StatCan’s latest report says the amount of milk available to Canadians also decreased by nearly four per cent in 2022, compared to the previous year.
StatCan says that was mainly caused by a drop in production of one per cent milk and two per cent milk.
In contrast, red meat availability increased by 4.3 per cent in 2022, led by beef as cattle slaughter increased from the previous year. The amount of poultry available to Canadians increased by 1.5 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser arrives to a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Fraser says the government will expand a pilot project to attract more temporary foreign workers to accept jobs in Canada’s agricultural industry for another two years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Ottawa
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the government will expand a pilot project to attract more temporary foreign workers to jobs in Canada’s agricultural industry for another two years.
The government launched the program three years ago to offer temporary workers in the agriculture and food sector a pathway to permanent residency in Canada.
It was due to end later this month but Fraser says it’s going to continue until 2025.
He says the pilot experienced some challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government wants more time to test it out.
The minister also says the family members of workers who make it into the program will be given open work permits so they can earn a living while they’re in Canada.
The agricultural sector is struggling with labour shortages, and the minister says if they’re not addressed it could hurt Canada’s food security.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.
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