(Alice McFArlane/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

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Jul 4, 2024 | 12:43 PM

United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) now owns a portion of Canterra Seeds.

The $2.5 million deal is a 17 per cent stake in the Winnipeg-based company’s common shares.

UFA president and CEO Scott Bolton has been appointed to Canterra’s board of directors.

“Our investment in Canterra Seeds provides an opportunity for us to increase our focus on research and innovation to deliver added value to our members and customers,” Bolton said.

UFA is an Alberta-based agricultural co-operative that owns farm and ranch supply stores and petroleum locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. and has more than 120,000 members.

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The purchase is not expected to affect day-to-day operations or the seed varieties available at UFA.

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Manitoba’s Bothwell Cheese has resumed production following a serious fire last month at its facility in New Bothwell.

Parent company Gay Lea Foods said the Jun. 1 fire caused extensive damage to an area of the facility that processes whey, a byproduct of the cheesemaking process.

The full re-opening depends in part on local farmers, who stepped up to provide a temporary solution for whey disposal.

The plan, which the company said was developed with Manitoba’s environmental regulators, allowed Bothwell Cheese to discard the natural byproduct into a small number of farms’ earthen manure storage ponds, where it can be used as on-farm fertilizer.

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A chicken in B-C has earned its place in the Guinness World Records for correctly identifying the most objects within one minute.

The chicken named Lacey appeared in a video setting the record of six identifications after owner Emily Carrington showed the hen a series of letters, numbers and coloured objects.

Carrington, a veterinarian who lives on Gabriola Island, said Guinness officials confirmed last month in a letter that Lacey is the record holder for the most identifications by a chicken in one minute.

Carrington said Lacey is also capable of jumping through hoops and laying one egg a day, and the world record shows that chickens are intelligent.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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