SCOTT, Sask. — Saskatchewan has had its share of problems with insect pests this year. Midge is one of the bugs causing difficulties, says Scott Hartley, an insect and vertebrate pest specialist with the provincial agriculture ministry. “Right now we’re in the middle of midge emergence,” he told a field day at Agriculture Canada’s Scott […] Read more
Stories by Bryn Levy
Fusarium, sclerotinia risk high in wet areas
VANCOY, Sask. – Fusarium head blight will likely need special attention this year. Mike Bakker, BASF’s brand manager for fungicides and agriculture products, told a recent field day that this year’s wet conditions have created ideal conditions for fungal diseases such as fusarium. The disease could be seen in areas that haven’t been previously affected, […] Read more
Group seeks public review of dam operations
A group of farmers is demanding a public review of the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority’s operation of the Gardiner Dam. Wally Hamm, vice-chair of the Valley People Association, said the water level at the dam is kept high late into the year, which enables SaskPower to generate more hydroelectricity. “The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, basically they’re a […] Read more
Innovative water technology hitting brick wall: report
Canada must reduce barriers holding back the development of technology that would make agriculture a more efficient water user, says the director of a policy think-tank. Dianne Cunningham, director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management at the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business, said layers of government red tape […] Read more
Conservation program moves into Alberta
VERMILION, Alta. — Alternative Land Use Services has arrived in Alberta. The grassroots program that compensates farmers for making environmental improvements to their land has already been established in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. Projects on 1,000 acres of land in the County of Vermilion River have now moved the program to Alberta. ALUS is […] Read more
Sprouting business resists expansion
Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds has come a long way from the kitchen table of a small family farm. Jim and Maggie Mumm started an organic farm near Shellbrook, Sask., in 1972. They raised livestock and devoted a few acres to crops, including alfalfa. Over time, the Mumms found demand for their alfalfa seeds growing, primarily among […] Read more
Volatile weather predicted as moisture and heat unite
The crown corporation that runs hail insurance in Alberta is gearing up for what may be an active season of damage claims. The Agriculture Financial Services Corp. is training new adjusters and has outfitted adjusters with new equipment aimed at increasing efficiency. With much of Alberta’s farmland still holding a lot of moisture, and warmer […] Read more
New reality show turns Sask. crop sprayers into TV stars
Don’t tell Bud Jardine that food just comes from a grocery store. The veteran crop-dusting pilot from Nipawin, Sask., knows better. Jardine, one of the stars of History Television’s reality seriesDust Up, has spent 41 years on the front lines of the agriculture industry, risking life and limb buzzing low over farmers’ fields in his […] Read more
Wanted dead or alive: ticks hunted in Western Canada
Neil Chilton is a bit of a tick magnet. The parasitologist and assistant department head at the University of Saskatchewan’s biology department has spent eight years studying the hardy arachnids in Saskatchewan, including the past three years overseeing the Tick Surveillance Program. He analyzes ticks that the public sends him from across Western Canada. Part […] Read more
Equine herpes scare restricts vet college surgeries
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine has stopped performing elective surgeries on horses after treating an animal with a confirmed case of the neurological strain of equine herpes virus June 18. Dr. Chris Clark, assistant professor of large animal medicine at the college, said offsite procedures would still be performed. He also said that while […] Read more
