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Ag board programs assist with farming needs

With the coming of spring comes a great need for organization and efforts to make this season’s crop successful. The Agricultural Service Board (ASB) is looking forward to working towards a good year for Ponoka County.

With the coming of spring comes a great need for organization and efforts to make this season’s crop successful. The Agricultural Service Board (ASB) is looking forward to working towards a good year for Ponoka County.

The board does this by providing services and programs to promote and enhance the sustainable and economical growth of the agricultural industry within Ponoka County.

The board has responsibilities under the Agricultural Service Board Act, Weed Control Act, Agricultural Pests Act, Soil Conservation Act and Livestock Disease Act.

“Based on these acts the ASB will promote, advise, and organize weed control, pest control, soil/water conservation programs and policies to meet the needs of local residents and landowners,” said Shayne Steffen manager of agricultural services.

Their programs are weed pest control/inspections and enforcement, roadside mowing program, shelterbelt program, pesticide container sites, rental equipment (cattle scale, small sprayers, skunk traps, grasshopper control bran spreaders), coyote control, beaver/flood control and private blasting, assisting federal and provincial government’s with livestock disease control, conservation and extension programming, agricultural pest control (e.g. clubroot/fusarium), soil conservation and special programming such as strychnine program for Richardson’s Ground Squirrel (gopher) control and many more.

Each year the board faces new challenges with the increasing issues facing agriculture such as changing agricultural markets, the impacts of crop disease, insects, commodities, inputs (fuel, fertilizer, seed) weather on local producers, etc.

The board is preparing for any changes that will alter their methods of working and are looking at accomplishing their goals.

“The board will be preparing for the ever changing environmental regulations impacting the way we conduct operations.,” said Steffen. “Increased weed and pest control, identification and marking of weed infestation sites, changing labor market and impacts on staffing will also be a focus.”

For more information contact Ponoka County at 783-3333.