The County of Stettler’s Agriculture Service Board (ASB) heard about an idea to offer farm-themed programs to elementary school kids. The idea was floated at the Dec. 17 ASB board meeting.

Readers should note the ASB is comprised of two members at large and several members of county council and is chaired by Coun. Allan Gano.

Board members heard the regular report of Manager of Agriculture Services Rob Klatt, who noted his department had a lot on the go the past few months. Klatt noted staff have been considering an ag tour program somewhat similar to programs run by other municipalities that, for example, involve Gr. 4 students learning directly about agriculture.

Klatt noted the idea could involve a partnership with the Stettler Ag Society and feature students attending events that offer live farm demonstrations.

Klatt stated environmental farm plans (EFP) have been front and centre in his department; he noted the department technician has recently worked on 12 EFPs that have been approved, and one-on-one sessions are in the process of being scheduled. Readers should note that, according to the Government of Alberta, an EFP is “...a whole-farm self-assessment tool to identify potential environmental risks on your farm.”

Tree planting workshops are also in the planning stage, reported Klatt. He stated that the workshops would have a classroom component backed up by an in-the-field component. Klatt stated the field portion may be linked to a partnership where trees can be planted to benefit the community.

Planning is also underway for the county fair, and it was noted there has been some talk of offering a poultry workshop during next summer’s event.

Of course, budget planning has been a big part of recent ASB staff work noted the manager.

He observed that grain bag rolling has been surprisingly busy of late; Klatt stated that this work has allowed county staff opportunities to interact with producers, which is nice.

During discussion board members asked how many grain bags were delivered to the landfill. Klatt responded the County of Stettler delivered around 30 bags, but he didn’t know how many were delivered by private producers.

Readers should note grain bag rolling is the process of using equipment to compact and roll used grain bags into bales which can then be disposed of responsibly.

The manager also noted in his report that the ASB is developing a weed scoring framework so everyone is on the same page. Klatt observed that such systems are known to be effective.

During discussion board members asked about follow-up between ASB staff and the supplier of two new spraying units to the County of Stettler. Klatt responded staff haven’t been satisfied with the sprayer’s software capabilities but are working with the supplier to see if results can be improved.

Board members unanimously accepted Klatt’s report as information.