Ag notes

Sask. Parks record

Visits to Saskatchewan provincial parks set a new record in 2015 with almost 3.9 million visits.

For 2016, there are planned increases to many of the fees.

Prices are expected to increase $1 for nightly camping, $1 to $5 for entry permits, $4 to $8 for group camping and $30 to $75 for seasonal camping. Fees for swimming lessons and organized youth group camping trips will remain the same as 2015.

The increase in park entry fees represents the first time fees have changed in more than 10 years.

A full description of the new fees is available on the SaskParks website at www.saskparks.net/fees.

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Saskatchewan does not charge extras for firewood, unlike many other jurisdictions. The nightly camping fee remains similar to Manitoba and lower than Alberta and British Columbia.

The 2016 nightly camping reservation launch will occur in April of this year.

Distinguished honour

Former Alberta Agriculture and Forestry researcher Dr. Jim Helm has been awarded the American Society of Agronomy Distinguished Service Award. The award is given to nominees that have made a transformational contribution to the agronomy profession.

Helm worked for more than four decades as head of research at the Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe,Alta., and oversaw the release of 42 cereal cultivars bred specifically for conditions in Alberta and Western Canada, including 32 barley varieties, nine triticale varieties and one winter wheat variety.

Helm was born and raised in Washington state and had the opportunity as a master’s student to work with legendary Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug at Washington State University. Borlaug was an American biologist who is commonly referred to as the father of the green revolution for his introduction of high yielding varieties and introducing modern agricultural practices to many foreign countries.

After obtaining his Ph.D. from Oregon State University, Helm moved to Alberta in 1973 to become the sole worker at the new provincial barley breeding program, now called FCDC.

Under Helm’s leadership, the program grew into a world class cereal breeding facility with 10 scientists and more than 30 staff working in pathology, biotechnology, quality and breeding labs.

Helm retired from FCDC in 2014.

He has also received the Canadian Society of Agronomy’s Distinguished Agronomist award, the Alberta Centennial Medal for outstanding service to Alberta and the Alberta Science and Technology Award for Innovation in Agricultural Science and was inducted into the Alberta Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2002.

Story telling month

February is Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month.

Events are planned throughout the province, showcasing the lives, histories, practices and cultures of Aboriginal people and performers. The main presenter for the month’s celebrations is the Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples committee.

Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month has grown from modest beginnings in 2004 with 2,800 participants to nearly 300 sessions and more than 16,500 participants last year.

For a listing of events being held throughout Saskatchewan, visit the website of Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples at lssap.wordpress.com.