Cornfest starting today in Taber

One of the community events that Chin Ridge Seeds is proud to sponsor is Taber's Cornfest.   In fact we have been a Gold Sponsor for Cornfest for many years now. 

Cornfest is a two day free outdoor folk festival, midway and carnival, homecoming for southern Albertans and two wonderful fun days for kids and adults alike.  We sponsor Cornfest because we believe in giving back to the community and Cornfest is a wonderful way of bringing our local southern Alberta community together and celebrating the contribution that agriculture makes to our community.

Some say that Taber is a town "that water built"  and it is very true.  The warm southern alberta climate provides the heat units and along with the irrigation canal system we have here, it provides a wonderful ecosystem and climate for growing many agricultural commodities from corn to potatoes to sugar beets to excellent quality bird seed ingredients.

So come out to cornfest and enjoy the very interesting entertainment and did I mention that most of the activities (except for the midway rides) are FREE. Be sure to sample some of Taber's locally grown wonderful sweet corn too.   See this website for more information on 2011's Cornfest celebration: http://www.aroundtaber.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.aroundtaber.com/tabcf.

Summer bird feeding - things to watch

Oh summer!  What a great time of year and I can not believe it is already half over.  I love being in the backyard enjoying a nice summer day and watching the birds come to my feeders.  I find that the small birds like the pine siskins and finches are pretty brave and will come to the feeders even with me sitting nearby or while I am working in the garden.

The downside of summer bird feeding is that you have to keep more focus on your feeders in terms of cleanliness.  Summer temperatures provide the ideal climate for bacteria growth so it is important to ensure your feeders remain clean.  You can do this by scrubbing out your feeders with hot soapy water about once a month and letting the feeder air dry. You could even periodically wipe down the perches and feeding portals with a cloth dipped in weak bleach solution to prevent the spread of salmonella.

Salmonella is a bacterial disease that can kill birds particularly birds like finches, redpolls and pine siskins and it can be easily spread at feeders through bird droppings.  If you see a bird that appears sick or see a dead bird under your feeder, this could be a warning that salmonella is present and you should take your feeders down and really work on giving them a thorough cleaning. 
 

In terms of filling feeders, my summer bird feeding strategy is to fill the feeders more often in the summer but with less seed.  This ensures that seed that may have become wet due to rain can be removed quickly before it gets bad or spoils.  Another thing that I keep an eye on is any bird droppings that might be on my feeder - or in the feeder in the case of my tray feeder.

These few feeder tips will help you to keep the birds at your feeders happy and healthy in these beautiful summer months.