Agriculture in the County
County of St. Paul declared Agricultural Disaster (November 26, 2019)
A Clubroot Workshop will be held on February 10. If you are interested in this informative Workshop,
please register before February 7. Workshop Information
The main focus of the County of St. Paul Agricultural Service Board (ASB) is to deliver programs that aid our local producers, under the guidelines of the provincial Agricultural Service Board Act. These programs and services include: rental equipment, weed and brush control, pests, diseases, predators and conservation programs. Learn more about Alberta's Agriculture Service Boards.
The Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA) aims to
support local agriculture producers and offers a number of workshops and
resources for agri-entrepreneurs.
Follow LARA on Facebook.
Find out the latest in agriculture research in this area through
LARA's publication "Grow With Us".
LARA Annual General Meeting and Research Update is scheduled for February 27 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Mallaig Unity Hall.
Farmer Appreciation Night hosted by LARA will take place on February 7 starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Glendon RCMP Hall. Space is limited so pre-purchase your tickets early. Event Information
LARA is planning a number of workshops including Feed What You Need: Dealing with Variable Forage Quality and Alternative Feed Sources; Greener Pastures Ranching; Cover Crops - Increasing Profitability Through Diversity; and, Holistic Management.
Soil Health Academy July 15-17, 2020 in the County of St. Paul
Check the LARA website for information on the
Annual General Meeting and on upcoming programs.
Weed & Invasive Species Control
The County aims to help our agricultural community avoid pests, weeds and invasive species. See the resources below for more information.
Clubroot
Clubroot is a serious soil-borne disease of canola, mustard and other crops in the cabbage family. The disease is capable of significantly reducing yields and quality, and may destroy a crop if infestations are high. Field inspections in the County are conducted each summer by inspectors appointed in the County. If a field is verified to have clubroot by a laboratory test the landowner will be notified by an Agricultural Service Board employee. A Clubroot Pest Notice will be issued to the landowner
of that field.
Contact a County Agricultural Fieldman at 780-645-3006 for additional information.
Weed Control
We work with producers to eliminate weed infestations on private land. Controlling noxious, nuisance weeds and brush are priorities along roadways and municipally controlled lands.
We also undertake many activities to control weeds in the county, including, Roadside Spraying (residents may opt out), Inspections and a Road Side Mowing Program.
[Learn More About Our Spraying Program]
[Government of Alberta Weed Selector]
[Report Noxious Weeds]
Road Side Spray Program &
No-Spray Agreements
During the summer months the ASB staff is kept busy by spraying around 500 roadside miles annually. This control method is used to stop the establishment of such weeds as Common Tansy, ox-eyed daisy, Fusarium, field Scabious, toad flax, Scentless chamomile and Canada or sow Thistle. Brush is also sprayed to slow down encroachment on roadsides.
No Spray Agreements
The County does recognize that not all producers use herbicide on their farm or acreage. The County does offer a No-Spray Agreement. The agreement must be signed with the County before April 30 each year to ensure no spraying is done near to private property. The agreements and signs are available from County ASB Staff at Public Works. .
A No–Spray Agreement is in affect only until July 1st annually to control the weeds to the satisfaction of the ASB staff. It is up to the landowner to contact the ASB staff if they would like an extension past the 1st of July.
If your property is mowed and visibly taken care of, the County will not spray it.
Pest Control
The County of St. Paul has conducted and will continue to conduct surveys of crops during the summer to keep a vigilant eye out to prevent pests from establishing and to contain when found within the municipality. We also undertake a number of other activities to control pests in the County.
Available for purchase:
Mouse Poison $3.00/bag
Strychnine $11/bottle
Livestock Predation
We offer domestic livestock producers assistance when livestock is being threatened and damaged. Various methods can be used to try and help producers protect their herds. Not to be used as a population control tactic.
Richardson's Ground Squirrels
The County’s Ag. Service Department, as a certified government agent, sells strychnine bait products to farmers for the control of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels.
The program runs in the spring when they first emerge on into the summer. Spring is the best time to use baits when food sources are scarce. Check in the spring for availability and pricing.
Beavers
The County manages beavers in three ways: Blasting, Cleaning, Installing a Water Leveling Device. If you want to know more about trapping, please contact Public Works.
The County of St. Paul has services available for private owners, to remove beavers that cause flooding to farmland and or property. The fee for Beaver Dam removal is $250/dam.
Wild Boars
County of St. Paul works with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development whereby individuals submitting the ears of a wild boar will be reimbursed $50/pair of ears. Individuals will be required to complete a declaration before payment will be made.
Contact
If you have an Agriculture related question we invite you to contact the County of St. Paul using the contact information found on this page.
Contact Information
TIM MAHDIUK, DIrector
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
780-645-3301
Address:
5015 - 49 Avenue
St. Paul, AB T0A 3A4
Regular Hours:
8:30am - 4:30pm
Closed for lunch from 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Closed all Statutory Holidays
