The Agricultural Services Department

The Agricultural Services Department of Northern Sunrise County is dedicated to protecting and enhancing agriculture, the environment, and rural living for its residents. Responsible for all agricultural matters within the County, the department ensures compliance with federal, provincial, and local legislation. Its primary objective is to provide a broad range of information and services that support sustainable agriculture and vibrant rural communities.

A few Services offered by Agricultural Services Department & Helpful Links:

Equipment Rental

Integrated Vegetation Management

Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) is a program aimed at controlling regulated weeds and maintaining the health of public spaces and infrastructure through a variety of management techniques.

Key components include:

Free Weed Spraying Services: The County offers free regulated weed spraying to help manage small infestations — you can sign up here!
Roadside Weed Control: Annual mowing of right-of-way vegetation and rotational herbicide applications help keep roads clear and safe.
Drainage Ditches: Mowing of drainage ditches ensures effective water runoff and prevents infrastructure damage, especially during spring months.

These efforts help preserve infrastructure, reduce the spread of invasive species, and improve the overall health of local environments.

Pest Monitoring & Control

Surveys are completed annually throughout the County for the following diseases and agricultural pests, which are regulated under the Agricultural Pests Act . If pests are found, the County will advise producers on management and control practices:

Blackleg
- This disease infects the cabbage family and occurs on crops such as mustard and canola.
Clubroot
- This disease can infect canola and mustard crops, weeds including wild mustard, stinkweed and shepherd’s purse and other cruciferous vegetable crops.
Fusarium Head Blight
- This fungal pathogen infects all small grain cereal crops (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale), corn and many wild and tame grass species. The most damaging strain of Fusarium head blight is caused the fungus Fusarium graminearum.
Grasshopper
- These pests can cause serious feeding damages to all crops and forages.

Public Area Maintenance Services

The parks and public area maintenance crew maintain 46 public areas throughout the County all year round. These areas include walking trails, lookouts, community grounds and halls, parks, firehalls, cemeteries, water reservoirs, and lift stations. During the winter season, trails are cleared of snow and ice through plowing, removal, and sanding, while cross-country ski trails are groomed as conditions permit.

Veterinary Services Incorporated (V.S.I)

V.S.I is a cost sharing program for approved veterinary services for cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and bees. This program is available to livestock owners who live and own land within the County.

Any producer wishing to access this program can do so by completing the V.S.I application form and submit it to agservices@northernsunrise.net or drop it off at the County office. Following processing, you will receive a V.S.I card and number. This card allows the Veterinarian providing the medical services to do the cost share up front.

Learn about the services that are covered here.

The services that are NOT covered are referenced here.

Weed Inspection

Weed Inspections are annual property inspections conducted to detect and monitor regulated weeds under the Alberta Weed Control Act. Watch this video to learn more about the program.

If regulated weeds are found during an inspection, follow-up communication will be provided based on the priority level of the infestation:

Information Package
- For low priority infestations, this package provides information about the regulated weeds found.
Compliance Letter
- For moderate priority infestations, this letter highlights the importance of controlling the regulated weeds.
Inspector’s Notice
- For high priority infestations, this notice will request the destruction or control of the regulated weeds by a specified date. If action is not taken by this deadline, Northern Sunrise County will take action in accordance with the Weed Control Act.

Agriculture Links

Mental Health Resources

AgTalk - Do More Ag

Alberta Farm Mental Health Network

Organizations

Regulatory Resources

Research Resources

Peace Country Beef & Forage Association (PCBFA)
SARDA Ag Research