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- News & Notices
- Contact Us
Athabasca County Agricultural Services supports farmers and producers by encouraging production, profitability, and sustainability. We offer a number of programs and provide information on crop protection, including vegetation management, insect and pest control, and wildlife management.
County staff are also available for services such as soil and feed sampling, field inspections, specialty crops consultation, weed, insect and disease monitoring and control, and marketing recommendations.
Athabasca County offers a fenceline spray program that has two components: we can spray noxious weeds along fencelines adjacent to County roads for no cost to the landowner. This typically involves a UTV with boom sprayers driving along the inside of the fence and spraying into the fenceline as well as spraying into the ditch. The second component is spraying internal fencelines at a rate of $75/half mile.
This program is for non-fenceline, privately-owned areas, such as yards, driveway edges, and headlands, not adjacent to county roads. The rate for this spraying is $100/acre with a minimum charge of one acre.
Under the Weed Control Incentive Program, Athabasca County offers landowners incentives to help to stop the spread and reduce the number of noxious weeds in the region.
As a measure to address the potential economic impact of the spread of weeds, landowners who treat large infestations may qualify for a rebate on the herbicide products that they use.
Under the program, landowners can apply to be reimbursed for a portion of the costs for the application. Participants in the program are required to apply prior to work being done, and have their land inspected before and after the chemical application. Proof of chemical purchase must be submitted to qualify for reimbursement.
Those interested in becoming part of the program can download and fill out the application and bring it into the County office to arrange an inspection.
For those residents who wish not to have roadsides along their property treated with herbicides, they may enter into a signed agreement with the County whereby they assume responsibility for weed control in the ditch. For details on the Terms of Agreement and our Roadside Weed Control Program, call Agricultural Services.
Our Agricultural Services Staff is available to assist producers with a variety of services that could benefit their farm management and productivity. Services include soil and feed sampling; field inspections; specialty crops consultation, weed, insect and disease monitoring and control; marketing recommendations; and other services to numerous to mention.
The Agricultural Service Board sponsors several management workshops every year, and also hosts the Annual Rural Women’s Conference.
The Agricultural Service Board promotes the planting of trees and the many benefits that tree planting projects provide.
Athabasca County holds an annual tree sale. Trees can be purchased here.
Tank loading facilities are operational at the following locations:
The tank loading facilities will provide water at a cost of $1.00/200 gallons and $2.00/400 gallons for agricultural use. the stations only accept $1 and $2 coins.
These stations only use non-potable water. The filling of spray tanks at tank loading stations is not permitted.
Please remove the hose from the tank before driving away.
Under the Weed Control Incentive Program, Athabasca County offers landowners incentives to help to stop the spread and reduce the number of noxious weeds in the region.
As a measure to address the potential economic impact of the spread of weeds, landowners who treat large infestations may qualify for a rebate on the herbicide products that they use.
Under the program, landowners can apply to be reimbursed for a portion of the costs for the application. Participants in the program are required to apply prior to work being done, and have their land inspected before and after the chemical application. Proof of chemical purchase must be submitted to qualify for reimbursement.
Those interested in becoming part of the program can download and fill out the application and bring it into the County office to arrange an inspection.
Weed Control Brochure
Athabasca County Agricultural Services has a helpful brochure to identify and understand the goals for weed control in Alberta.
Athabasca County’s Agricultural Service Department has a variety of equipment available to lend and rent. The equipment is located at the County’s Public Works yard in Athabasca. For booking arrangements, please call the Agriculture Service Department office at 780-675-2273.
The Athabasca County Agricultural Service Board encourages local high school students and mature students to choose a career in agriculture or a related field and to financially support them while attending a post-secondary institution. The support of the $1,500 bursary is intended for students to enhance their knowledge and return to Athabasca County to apply it.
Applications and all supporting documentation must be received by the Manager of Agriculture Services no later than September 15th in each year and must include:
Applications are to be submitted to:
Athabasca County, Agricultural Service Board
3602-48th Avenue
Athabasca, AB T9S 1M8
Phone: 780-675-2273 Fax: 780-675-5512
Email: AG-Env@athabascacounty.com
The Agricultural Pests Act directs that Agricultural Pests (Norway Rat, Blackleg and Clubroot of Canola, Dutch Elm Disease, Warble Fly, etc.) must be controlled, and that Agricultural Nuisances (coyotes, skunks, Richardson’s Ground Squirrel, Northern Pocket Gopher, etc.) may be controlled.
The Agricultural Service Board (ASB) works under Alberta Agriculture’s directive on these issues and have programs for pest control. It should be noted that where there are urban and human interactions with coyotes, Alberta Fish and Wildlife are legislated to deal with these situations. ASB may assist with coyote control as it relates to agricultural production and where a proven case of predation has occurred.
The potential impact of insects and disease varies from year to year and the Ag Service Board has a monitoring program to predict outbreaks.
The Service Board has Electrostatic sprayer available for the control of Blackflies as well as two Bran Bait applicators available for localized treatments of Grasshoppers.
Under the mandate of the Agricultural Land Flood Control Program the County Problem Wildlife Specialists respond to agricultural flooding problems, requiring the destruction of beaver dams and the removal or relocation of beavers. The department also installs Beaver Stop culvert protection devices that provide long-term protection of road crossings from beaver damage.
The department also conducts a Coyote Predation Control program and an intensive Pocket Gopher Management program in the Rochester area.
