Students at Greentree School had the opportunity to learn about agriculture from farmers with decades of experience.
The Verdant Valley Ag Society reached out to Greentree School to give students a chance to learn about and understand more about one of Alberta’s most important industries.
“Ask a Farmer” was held on Friday, June 11, which is Farmer’s Day in Alberta. The event featured a Zoom discussion with farmers Martin Larsen, Brad McDougald, and Ron Leonhardt, adding up to decades of experience.
Lynn Hemming, who helped to get the program going, says they have never done an event like this, although they used to arrange to put on displays, and sometimes classroom presentations.
Leonhardt says the students had some really good questions.
“It would have been really nice if we could have been in the classroom, but overall I think it went really well,” he said. “The kids really seemed to enjoy it.”
He explains the second Friday of June is Farmer’s Day, and in the past country schools would have a holiday, but this is no longer the case.
“The questions were good, and the teacher did a good job of getting their kids organized,” said Leonhardt.
He says an important component of their presentation was to clear up some misunderstandings of the industry.
McDougald said there were different levels of understanding of farming.
“Some of the questions were very basic, it shows they didn’t know a lot about animals, where food comes from, and how much food comes from grain, which if you are not in the industry, how would you know?” he said. “Fewer people grow the food for everyone, so the disconnect from the farm is getting bigger, and the more things like this we can do… It’s a really good idea.”
“We all do this job because we love it. It is a career we are very passionate about.”

So far, one major carrier in the valley is offering 5G cellular phone service, but others may soon be following suit.
In October of 2020, Rogers announced it would be offering 5G service to 29 more communities across the province, including Drumheller.
According to its news release, 5G will introduce new capabilities that are significantly more advanced than previous generations of wireless technology. The combination of ultra-low latency for near-instantaneous responsiveness, a massive increase in the number of devices that can be connected to the network and new applications will open a world of possibilities – such as real-time traffic management to reduce gridlock and commute time, remote healthcare, and virtual surgery for isolated communities, drones using thermal imaging to better inform firefighters trying to fight forest fires and multi-player, lag-free gaming on the go.
TELUS also has plans to expand in the near future.
“We can confirm TELUS’ 5G network will be available across Drumheller, AB by the end of 2021 as part of our larger $14.5 billion investment across Alberta through 2024,” said spokesperson Brandi Rees in an email.
“Once fully implemented, local residents and businesses will gain access to TELUS’ blistering fast 5G network, providing speeds up to 1.7 gbps. Beyond lightning-fast speeds, 5G offers a leap in capabilities over today’s 4G networks, including increased capacity, ultra-low latency, network slicing, and edge computing. These advancements are the foundation to power new applications serving enhanced health and educational outcomes for Canadians by improving access for all, regardless of where you live and work.”
Some TELUS customers have noted on their phones they will pick up 5G signals, often in the downtown area. Rees confirms this can sometimes happen.
“As part of the 5G rollout and network testing, some users may occasionally notice it is available; the network and implementation are not complete at this stage,” she said.
According to Bell.ca, their coverage map shows LTE and LTE Advanced in the valley currently.