The Senate Agriculture Committee is back in Ottawa after a road trip to the Canadian prairies last week.
As part of their work on Canada’s soil health, the group spent two days in Saskatchewan and two in Alberta.
The committee has heard numerous presentations in Ottawa and over Zoom, but felt it was important to get out there and see what was happening.
Alberta Senator Paula Simons said they visited a number of areas in Alberta with different types of farming and ranching operations.
Among other things, they visited the South Porcupine Ranch with Bill Newton, where he runs his herd on a 7,000-acre ranch with natural prairie
Grassland between Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump and Fort McLeod.
Simons says that was interesting as the land has never been plowed or cultivated and it is well managed. Even in a drought year, it looked fantastic, says Simons.
The group also visited Irricana with Kevin Auch, a farmer in Carmangay and chairman of Pulse Canada, and rancher Doug Wray. Wray Ranch recently won the Canadian Cattle Association’s 2023 national Environmental Stewardship Award.
They also spent time at Olds College learning about some of the new technologies in the agricultural sector and their benefits.
To hear Glenda-Lee’s conversation with Senator Paula Simons, click on the link below.
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