REGINA — Big-ticket equipment and high-tech imaging shouldn’t be the only tools in a producer’s arsenal, says the president of a leading agronomy company. During a recent training session held near Regina, Elston Solberg showcased easy-to-use and inexpensive diagnostic tools, including penetrometers for measuring soil compaction, a portable pH meter for measuring soil acidity and […] Read more
Stories by Bryn Levy
Program seeks to reduce head injury
Chevrolet Canada is offering to help parents of aspiring National Hockey Leaguers when they head out to pick up their kids’ first set of hockey equipment. The automaker is providing gift certificates to parents of children entering their first hockey season to cover the purchase of their first helmet. “We’re focused on serving our customers […] Read more
Money for bees
The federal government has announced funding of $370,000 to help Saskatchewan’s beekeepers deal with rising colony losses. The money, from the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program, will be given to the Saskatchewan Beekeeper’s Association to help with a project aimed at adapting current methods of disease control for bees to Saskatchewan’s seasonal cycle and climate. It’s […] Read more
Vet explains proper way to vaccinate, castrate
Proper vaccination and castration are two of the most important chores for feedlot operators when processing new arrivals, according to Dr. John Campbell, the head of large animal clinical science at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Campbell discussed two different types of vaccines in a presentation to a group of students at the Western […] Read more
Farmers welcome flood package
Dale Mainil farms 17,000 acres near Weyburn, Sask., – in the heart of some of the worst flooding seen this year. “I’m not one to ask for handouts or anything, I don’t think any producer wants to operate that way. But this is a one-in-100 year event and I guess tough times call for measures […] Read more
Hitting the target key to successful, safe implants
Like real estate, proper implanting technique boils down to location, location, location. During a presentation at the Western Canadian Feedlot Management School, an annual series of courses put on by the University of Saskatchewan, representatives from implant makers Merck Animal Health and Elanco Animal Health both said implants should be injected with the entry point […] Read more
Community proud of gardening success
What started as an idea to grow healthy food has grown into a source of pride for a First Nations’ community near Meadow Lake, Sask. Riverside Market Garden on the Flying Dust First Nation was started in 2009 as a reaction to high levels of diet-related disease among Canada’s aboriginal people, said Susan Merasty, co-manager. […] Read more
Texel sheep’s superior carcass makes up for lower lambing rate
DRAKE, Sask. — A popular European sheep breed continues to make inroads in Canada. The Texel, a Dutch breed named after the Isle of Texel off the coast of the Netherlands, has gained popularity among commercial breeders, said Mels Gandelann of the Canadian Texel Association. However, a lower lambing rate of 1.6 to 1.8 lambs […] Read more
Producers told to do homework to avoid unnecessary irrigation
OUTLOOK, Sask. — There are things producers can do to reduce guesswork in irrigation scheduling, says an agrologist with the Saskatchewan agriculture ministry. The first thing to do before turning on the taps is to check the soil’s moisture level, provincial irrigation agrologist Rory Cranston said during a field day at the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification […] Read more
Young Charolais owners learn art of evaluation
Evan Jamieson knows what he’s looking for. The 11-year-old from Langdon, Alta., carefully jotted down notes on his card recently as he examined four heifers, evaluating their bone structure and muscle with a steely eye as he tried to determine a winner. He started from six metres behind the animals because his height, at less […] Read more
