The Association of Alberta Agricultural Fieldmen: South Region Directory

Acadia | Cardston | Crowsnest Pass | Cypress | Foothills | Forty Mile | Lethbridge | Newell | Pincher Creek | Ranchland | Siksika | Special Area 2 | Special Area 3 | Special Area 4 | Taber | Vulcan | Warner | Wheatland | Willow Creek


Municipal District of Acadia #34

Agricultural Service Board
Box 30
Acadia Valley, Alberta, T0J 0A0

Shop: 403-972-3808
Phone: 403-972-3755
Fax: 403-972-3833

Jordan Hoffman, Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: j.hoffman@mdacadia.ab.ca

The municipality has little to no industrial activity which makes the mandate "Providing, Promoting and Protecting" agricultural resources, under the powers of the ASB act, a lot easier. The staff of two have varied responsibilities in the local municipal structure which also makes co-ordination of programs less complicated. Our belief is, that all we do is tied, for the most part, directly to Agriculture.

For general information on our municipality, please visit our home page at: www.mdacadia.ab.ca

Successful Programs:

• The reduction of tillage as a summerfallow tool
• Regrassing of waterways, marginal lands and saline areas
• Halting the spread of leafy spurge on cultivated lands
• The implementation and maintenance of all demonstration and/or plot work is contracted out to the local Research Association, Chinook Applied Research Association or CARA.
• Reciprocating agreements with all partners in the development of GIS data and systems
• Right of Way weed control accomplished by efficient use of roadside mowing, spot and shoulder spraying programs
• Distribution of Bait for the Rat Control Program of Alberta
• An extensive equipment rental program: wide blade cultivator, 3 grass drills, manure spreader, irrigation pump and 1 mile of pipe, livestock scale, portable loading chute, hydraulic drive post hole auger, tree planter, grain moisture tester, grain probes, metal detector, buried line detector, explosive gas detector, skunk traps, tripod level, wheel measure, skid mount insecticide and herbicide sprayers with boom and handguns, backpack sprayer, 2 grasshopper bran bait applicators, sump pumps and a pull type grader.

• Roadside spraying program, including spraying road shoulders
• Bio control for Leafy Spurge, Hounds Tongue and Dalmation Toadflax
• Knapweed and Leafy Spurge control along Milk River, St. Mary River, Belly River and Waterton River (all flowing out of the Unites States)
• Scentless Chamomile elevated to a Prohibited noxious weed with the goal of eliminating it
• We have traps available for skunk control.
• No till drills, 425 bushels manure spreader, sprayers and livestock handling equipment for rent to county taxpayers
• GPS mapping along rivers for Prohibited noxious and noxious weeds

Cypress County is located in the southeast portion of Alberta, bordering the province of Saskatchewan and the state of Montana. Agricultural operations in the County include cattle ranches, grain farms, mixed farms of cattle, crops and forages along with a few small scale feedlots and hog operations. Being in the brown soil zone, many dryland cropping rotations are wheat/fallow although more producers are extending rotations or moving to continuous cropping. New crops becoming common on dryland include canola, chickpeas, lentils and peas. South and west of Medicine Hat is a large irrigation area where typical crops include alfalfa, grass, canola, cereals, beans, corn, sunflower.

Successful Programs:

• Eradicable Weeds Program - in an effort to encourage land owners to report Prohibited Noxious weeds the ASB covers the cost of control. Knapweed continues to be the most prevalent Prohibited Noxious weed in the county.
• Noxious Weed Control Assistance Program - in an effort to assist land owners with getting noxious weed populations down to a manageable level the ASB will cover 50% of the labour costs for the county staff to control the weeds. This is limited to 3 years at which point the land owner is expected to take on full responsibility of weed control.
• Road Shoulder spraying - controlling vegetation on gravel road shoulders to help with road maintenance, using soil sterilant or non-residual herbicides.
• Border Rat Patrol - inspecting buildings within 19 km of the Saskatchewan border, to ensure rats do not get into Alberta
• General Weed Inspections - randomly checking fields to ensure noxious weeds are under control
• Specialized Rental Equipment - two15 ft. John Deere no-till drills, 16 ft. land roller, cattle scale, weigh wagon, pasture pipeline plow, plastic mulch applicator and tree planters
• Partnership with local applied research group (Farming Smarter). Annual crop demonstrations plots including: regional variety trials, winter pea trials, legume trials and general precision agriculture practices demonstrations.

Agricultural Service Board
Box 5605
High River, Alberta, T1V 1M7

Phone: 403-603-5410 (Ron)
Shop: 403-652-2423 ext. 5446 (Bree)
Fax: 403-603-5414

Jeff Porter, Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: jeff.porter@mdfoothills.com

Bree Webb, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: bree.webb@mdfoothills.com


Current A.S.B.:
Delilah Miller - Chair/Councillor
RD McHugh - Councillor
Rob Siewert - Councillor
Dave Anderson -Member at Large
Scott Henry - Member at Large
Wade Nelson - Member at Large
Lloyd Giles - Member at Large

County of Forty Mile No. 8

Agricultural Service Board
Box 160
Foremost, Alberta, T0K 0X0

Phone: 403-867-3530
Fax: 403-867-2242

Agricultural Fieldman - Vacant

Kevin Jesske, Fieldman's Assistant
E-mail: kevjes@fortymile.ab.ca

Darrell VanArragon, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: darrell.vanarragon@fortymile.ab.ca

Programs:

• Annual roadside weed control program covering over 1800 miles of municipal roads and 200 miles of Provincial Highways
• Herbicide applications for control of grass on road shoulders
• Perform control work on noxious and prohibited noxious weeds with goal towards eradication
• Biological control for leafy spurge infestations
• ASB staff offer advice with horticultural concerns, weed control issues, and watershed management
• Perform inspections for declared pests including rats, rabies and Bacterial Ring Rot
• Rental equipment includes: tree mover, cattle scale, no till seed drills, tree spraying service, noxious weed control
• Bi-annual newsletter delivered to all residents with information on programs

Gary Secrist, Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: gsecrist@lethcounty.ca

Terry Mrozowich - Agricultural Foreman

Successful Programs:
Preventing the establishment of provincially restricted weeds such as Dodder, Diffuse and Spotted Knapweed and Scentless Chamomile (restricted by By-Law).

Because of the high number (448) of intensive livestock feeding operations in the County, there is a large movement of feed into the area and consequently, the movement of weed seeds. Since the early 1970's, all new Scentless Chamomile infestations have been eliminated. The County Weed Inspector provides extension material on these weeds to all livestock feeding operations through personal contact.

A number of programs have been developed with the assistance of Dwayne Rogness, Soil technician for the County, such as Dugout Water Enhancement, Reclamation of Eroded Knolls, Quality & Quantity of Manure Produced in Southern Alberta Feedlots, Forage and Shelterbelt Demos, Fall Control of Water Annual Weeds and the Effect of Surface Applied Manure on Forages.

ASB duties also include parks, school and playgrounds maintenance, hamlet mowing & Disaster Services. One hundred thirty (130) miles of seldom traveled roads are sprayed with Round-Up instead of being graded. General road maintenance has also been amalgamated under this Department; this includes grading, gravelling and mowing all roads in the County.

Current A.S.B.:
Steve Campbell - Chair/Councillor
Morris Zeinstra - Councillor
Lorne Hickey - Councillor
Ken Benson - Councillor
Tory Campbell - Councillor
Robert Horvath - Councillor
Klaas Vander Veen - Councillor

County of Newell No. 4

Agricultural Service Board
Box 130
Brooks, Alberta, T1R 1B2

Phone: 403-362-2772
Shop: 403-362-4343
Fax: 403-362-8681

Todd Green, Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: greent@newellmail.ca

Catherine Christensen, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: christensenc@newellmail.ca

Will Schaap - Field Officer
E-mail: whiteh@countyofnewell.ab.ca

Successful Programs:

• Elevated Scentless Chamomile and Leafy Spurge to Prohibited Noxious - have maintained small infestations
• Eliminating Diffuse and Spotted Knapweed within the County of Newell.
• Reduction of Scentless Chamomile infestations along the Red Deer and Bow Rivers.
• Roadside weed control (1100 miles of local roads, 200 miles of secondary highways) as well as control along the railways (66 miles), continues to help reduce the spread of noxious weeds
• Rental Equipment - Speciality livestock equipment (Scale, chute, squeeze, calf table, tag reader), bale shredder (for soil erosion control), lister shovels, tree planters and plastic mulch applicator, No Till grain drills (2), Conventional double disc drill, Brillion seeder (2), pasture sprayers, 3 point hitch sprayer, quad sprayer, back pack sprayers, meter mister sprayer, skunk traps, dog traps and magpie traps
• Partner with Urban municipalities (City of Brooks, Town of Bassano, Village of Duchess) for Weed Inspection and control services on a cost recovery basis.

• Develop/deliver/facilitate programs for sustainable land and water use.
• Develop/deliver/facilitate programs for sound management of weeds, rural pests, & livestock disease.

• Obtain/maintain certification training for Agricultural Fieldmen and staff related to ASB programming.
• Access workshop/conference opportunities for ASB members/staff related to ASB programming.
• Sponsor interested citizens to attend relevant workshops/conferences.
• Subscribe to periodicals that relate to ASB programming.
• Utilize the various forms of mass media as a means to communicate with the larger public concerning ASB vision, mission, values, goals, strategies, and actions.

• Membership/active participation in relevant non-government organizations/committees.
• Cooperate with provincial/federal government departments whose mandates coincide with ours, and who represent opportunities for partnership.
• Cooperate with other municipal departments to improve overall municipal cooperation.
• Cooperate with local stakeholder groups whose mandates represent opportunities for partnership.
• Cooperate with industry to better understand how their mandates fit in context of our vision.

• Foster atmosphere of excellence in ASB members/staff, with incentive/recognition of creative, effective, efficient work.
• Challenge our citizens to help the ASB achieve its vision, and recognize those contributions privately and/or publicly.

• Keep up-to-date, well maintained equipment and supplies for use by ASB members & staff.
• Keep up-to-date, well maintained rental equipment & supplies for purchase or use by our citizens.

• Referral and/or access to agricultural/environmental specialists
• Representation for our area on agricultural/environmental issues to all levels of government & industry
• Agronomic and horticultural advice including varietal selection, fertility, diseases/insects, etc
• Environmental, crop pest, and crop production monitoring data for provincial and federal governments
• Assistance in accessing and completing provincial and federal government program forms and information
• General agricultural and environmental education and information availability to students & general public
• Interviews and articles for local/regional/national media on various agricultural and environmental issues

• On-going control of noxious weeds not common to the municipality such as Scentless Chamomile, Toadflax, Blueweed, Common Burdock, and Hound's Tongue.
• Effective Weed Control enforcement that has worked well for local residents and ratepayers.
• Joint Weed Control Agreement with the urban Municipality of Crowsnest Pass to help prevent the spread of restricted and noxious weeds through a major transportation corridor.
• Riparian management

• Prohibited Noxious and Noxious Weed Control -- continual control and eradication of species in this area including Scentless Chamomile, Leafy Spurge, Toadflax, Hoary Cress, Baby's Breath, White Cockle and more.
• Promotion of Agricultural Service Board by attending local fairs as well as holding successful workshops, in conjunction with CARA (Chinook Applied Research Association) such as coyote control, range management, weed identification, soil management, animal health and more.
• Providing rental equipment such as seed drills, no-till drills, pasture pipe plows, insecticide/weed sprayers and more.

• The MD of Taber's land area of 1,000,000 acres; 750,000 of it farmland or improved pasture including irrigated crops such as 35,000 acres of sugar beets, 25,000 acres of dry beans, 35,000 acres of potatoes, 7000 acres of sweet corn, and approximately 5000 acres of other specialty crops. Dryland crops include traditional cereal and oilseed crops as well as countless acres of lentils, dry peas, chickpeas and other crops that can be a cause for concern for soil erosion. As a hub in Southern Alberta for speciality crops many initiatives have been carried out to bring awareness and information to area farmers on the issue of soil erosion, crop rotation management, residual chemical carryover concerns, irrigation and soil moisture management through on farm consultation and through producer meetings organized and funded by the Ag Service Board.
• Other areas of emphasis include the Pest Control Act in which the ASB provides control measures for coyotes and grasshoppers, information and education on Fusarium Head Blight, and an annual survey of potato fields for Bacterial Ring Rot, as well as an annual grasshopper survey.
• A Municipal Weed Inspector is employed to investigate weed complaints and to initiate clean up measures when necessary.
• The ASB sprays 2600 kms of municipal roadside each year, as well as municipal parks and hamlets. The ASB will on occasion initiate application contracts with private landowners in order to ensure right of ways and other lands are properly cared for. A mowing program for roadsides also takes place that will see each roadside ditch mowed twice yearly.
• The MD of Taber ASB is also involved in non-traditional ASB territory by managing the Municipal Parks, Transfer Stations, assisting Hamlet Foreman in their duties. The ASB is also proactive in areas of agricultural production and sustainability and funding projects such as the Durum Moisture Definiency Project at the Alberta Agriculture Demonstration Farm, as well as participating in many projects including the Irrigation Management Climate information Network in association with the Irrigation Branch of Alberta Agriculture.
• The MD of Taber's Ag Service Board is prepared for change. It will continue to serve the Municipality and it's farmers in a proactive manner into the future with policies developed locally to meet local needs.

Agricultural Service Board
Box 180
Vulcan, Alberta, T0L 2B0

Phone: 403-485-3103
Fax: 403-485-2920

Kelly Malmberg, Manager of Agricultural Services
E-mail: agmanager@vulcancounty.ab.ca

Terry Olsen, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: res@vulcancounty.ab.ca

Successful Programs:

• Over the past several years we have completed delivered several AESA programs aimed at addressing soil and water conservation issues. We have recently become involved with riparian management along the Lower Little Bow River.
• Our roadside spraying program currently consists of three roadside spraying units equipped with GPS and GIS technology. We currently apray over 6000 miles of road annually controlling perennial and annual weeds.
• Our roadside mowing program currently consists of two Case MX110 tractor units with two Kuhn mowers; we cover 9000 miles of gravel road on an annual basis.
• We offer various pieces of equipment for rent to our producers such as cattle scales, grass seeders (brillions and direct seeders), portable sprayers, straw processor and crimper, and tree planters.
• Our roadside seeding program consists of a hydroseeder and brillion seeder in which we seed approximately 20 - 25 miles or roadside ditches each year.
• We offer our producers a privateland spraying program to rectify any hard to control perennials on a small acreage basis.

• Roadside weed control involving annual patch and spot spraying applications.
• Restricted and noxious weed control by monitoring and eradicating Knapweed and Scentless Chamomile, Oxeye Daisy and control of Leafy Spurge, Hoary cress, Baby's Breath, Canada Thistle, Perennial Sow Thistle, Common Burdock, Yellow Toadflax and Peppergrass.
• Hand spray noxious weeds along sensitive areas.
• Budget for biological weed control
• Mow the county road allowances as an alternate source of weed control in sensitive areas.
• Grain bin fumigation services.
• Shelterbelt insect control program
• Participate in monitoring/survey for various pests: Grasshopper, Bertha Army Worm, Dutch Elm Disease and Black Diamond Moth.
• Field inspections for Fusarium Head Blight, Clubroot and Virulent Blackleg.
• Continue strong collaborations with other municipalities, agencies, etc. which achieve shared goals and counter invasive threats.
• Maintain and provide specialized equipment and knowledge that will aid ratepayers in their pest control efforts.
• On-Farm visits to provide timely information on noxious weeds to producers and encourage good agricultural practices

• Promoting Salinity Control and Awareness by working with AAF and producers, providing technical assistance based on landscape and watershed attributes.
• Reclamation of saline lands.
• GIS development and implementation
• Surface water drainage coordination.
• Beneficial Management Practice Extension
• Range and Riparian development, planning and demonstrations
• Solar Watering Station Demonstration
• Environmental Stewardship Program
• Education and Awareness for all producers and acreage owners to communicate and encourage sound conservation practices

• Rabies Surveillance Program, keeping our county at a low risk to epidemics.
• Participate in problem wildlife and predator control/reported rat sightings.
• Roadside seeding of newly constructed roads.
• Pesticide container sites
• Environmental Farm Plan and Growing Forward Information provider
• Provide assistance with the Animal Health Act to mitigate disease risk and respond rapidly to an animal disease outbreak

Municipal District of Willow Creek #26

Agricultural Service Board
Box 550
Claresholm, Alberta, T0H 0T0

Phone: 403-625-3351 ex. 229 (Carla)
Phone: 403-625-3351 ext. 260 (Rachel)
Fax: 403-625-3886

Carla Preachuk, Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: carla@mdwillowcreek.com

Gary Murray, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman
E-mail: gary.murray@mdwillowcreek.com

Successful Programs:

• Restricted and Noxious Weed control along all roadsides as well as on public lands and private lands.
• Wind erosion control.
• Continued support of conservation programs
• Annual "Legacy of Our Land" banquet

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