Cypress County Agriculture Services

AGRICULTURAL SERVICE BOARD 2007 ANNUAL REPORT

"Helping Farmers & Ranchers Produce Good Food For Your Family"

Annual Summary Equipment Rentals	(# of renters / # of acres Or # of head Or number of km of pipeline)
Annual Summary Equipment Rentals	Average	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	Totals*
No-Till Seed Drill (acres)	40/3450	42/3333	44/4532	53/5301	65/6193	49/4736	599 / 51,750²
Land Roller (acres)	19/1572	14/1263	12/785	17/1176	26/2009	16/1360	230 /18,870³
Cattle Scale (head of cattle)	21/1097	4/281	3/279	6/393	6/443	10/201	255 / 13,160⁴
Pasture Pipeline Plow (km)	6/18	n/a	4/4	3/4	2/9	2/9	31 / 88

* ¹ since 1990 ² since 1991 ³ since 1994 ⁴ since 1992

Skunk Traps and magpie traps were available for rent.
Tree planters were available from the county free of charge and a plastic mulch applicator was available for use courtesy of PFRA.

145 inspections for Norway Rats were done from July to January, within 12 miles of SK border.

58 farmers purchased Ready to Use Strychnine bait for the control of Richardson Ground squirrels between March 22 and June 11.

many gravel Road Shoulders Sprayed with glyphosate, 2,4-D or Krovar to improve maintenance.

Canada Thistle Patches (noxious weeds) were sprayed on roadsides and accessible road allowances in One Four, Thelma & Redcliff areas, part of a three year rotation to cover the County.

municipal roadsides were spot sprayed throughout the summer for noxious weeds including Field Bindweed, leafy spurge, toadflax, Russian knapweed, hoary cress & perennial sow thistle.

landowners were assisted with their responsibility for control of noxious weeds field bindweed, leafy spurge, Canada thistle, Russian knapweed, Scentless Chamomile & toadflax (including lands of Canadian Pacific Railway and highway contractor Volker Stevin).

continued applied research on Biological Control of Leafy Spurge with ten new release sites in 2007.

assisted 14 landowners with their responsibility to Destroy Diffuse & Spotted Knapweed, including sites along the CPR mainline.

$1,500 grant to City of Medicine Hat, $2,000 grant to Saint Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) to assist with their Noxious Weed Control program.

Pesticide Container Collection Sites maintained at Irvine, SW of Medicine Hat, Schuler and Redcliff.

39 land owners received 25,760 shelterbelt trees in early May in cooperation with AB Nurseries and PFRA..

1.5 miles of field shelterbelt were planted, in cooperation with Chinook Pheasants Forever; total of 6 miles weeded and maintained as part of the Field Shelterbelt Establishment program.

forage wheel Demonstration Plot was continued.

3 local farmers were sponsored to attend the FarmTech 2007 conference in Edmonton.

continued Partnership with County of Forty Mile ASB to have Conservation Coordinator, Bob Kaufman, implement environmentally sustainable agriculture projects and riparian demonstrations.

Continued recognition of local agricultural producers through the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, BMO Farm Family Award.

Provincial Acts That We Administer

Agricultural Service Board Act - This Act provides for the establishment and operation of Agricultural Service Boards (ASB) throughout Alberta. It provides a province-wide infrastructure for the delivery of weed control, disease control, pest control, and soil and water conservation programs. It gives municipal Council’s the authority to take control of land by declaring it subject to supervision, rehabilitation or reclamation. It also provides for financial incentives and technical assistance to enable the administration of provincial acts and resulting programs at the municipal level.

Agricultural Pests Act -This Act is enabling legislation which provides the legal authority to deal with native and introduced pests which affect agricultural production. Pests, as declared in the Pest & Nuisance Control Regulation, vary from blackleg of canola, to grasshoppers and coyotes. The Act is written in such a manner that the municipal local authority has the option to enforce, provide a warning or do nothing about pest concerns.

Soil Conservation Act - This Act is enabling legislation which allows for the sustainment of the agricultural land resource by discouraging practices which cause soil degradation.

Weed Control Act - This Act is enabling legislation which provides the legal authority to deal with native and introduced weed species which affect agricultural production. It requires landholders to Destroy Restricted weeds, Control Noxious weeds and prevent the spread of Nuisance weeds. The invasive species which are of concern in Alberta are listed in the Weed Regulation. The Act also regulates the licensing of portable and stationary seed cleaning plants through the Seed Cleaning Plant Regulation.

"Programs to preserve and improve agricultural production and enhance the rural lifestyle"

Agricultural Service Board Members