Alta. dairy industry supporting youth through WHL

Mar 25, 2025
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Alberta Milk and the Edmonton Oil Kings teamed up for the Shots for Charity challenge

Alberta youth receiving support at Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS) centres will have access to local dairy products thanks to Alberta Milk.

For the third consecutive year, Alberta Milk and the Edmonton Oil Kings collaborated on the $15,000 Shots for Charity challenge.

For every shot taken by the Oil Kings during home games, Alberta Milk donated $15 to YESS, meaning the team needed to tally 1,000 shots to achieve the $15,000 mark.

"At Alberta Milk, we believe in strengthening our communities by supporting initiatives that make a real difference," Stuart Boeve, chair of Alberta Milk, said in a statement. "This partnership with the Edmonton Oil Kings and YESS ensures that vulnerable youth have access to essential nutrition through dairy products, helping them build a healthier future."

The campaign started on Sept. 28 where the Oil Kings recorded 29 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen.

The team finished the regular season on March 25 with a 4-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels.

In total, the team tallied a total of 1,129 shots on home ice.

The ag community often donates to local initiatives.

In 2024, for example, the annual Aggie Bedpush at the University of Manitoba raised a total of $26,725.20 to split between STARS and the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program.

In Saskatchewan in 2023, AGT Foods implemented a crop exchange program.

Farmers had the option to donate a portion of their crop delivery to help local food banks purchase goods from AGT Foods.

And Farm Credit Canada committed to matching donations up to $1 million.

And in 2022, B.C. farmers donated nearly 600,000 eggs to Food Banks BC.

If you’re looking for a Canadian ag charity to support, you can find information about seven charities here.

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.