On the Farm: A ranch started in the 1950s is now home to three generations, raising Herefords and Border Collies
CRANBROOK, B.C. — Putting a fence post in the ground here isn’t easy. The bedrock that lies beneath most of the 10,400 acres of grazing land at Pine Butte Ranch is unforgiving, sometimes requiring A-frame posts to hold up the more than 80 kilometres of fence. When Ray and May Van Steinburg bought the dairy […] Read moreStories by Christalee Froese
Welding is a family affair at this Sask. business
MONTMARTRE, Sask. — This welding shop once had more women than men at work. “Farmers would come to pick something up and they’d be so surprised. They’d say, ‘you got girls working here?’ ” said Kelly Romanow, owner of Romanow Industries. In the early days of this rural business, the entire Romanow family pitched in […] Read more
Farm-to-Folk more than just a business
Kootenay Farm-to-Folk customers follow the Facebook feed to be able to get fresh-picked produce as soon as it comes in.
CRANBROOK, B.C. — He enters the store with a bouquet of flowers in hand. His wife is there, but the flowers are not for her. They’re for store clerk Laura Young. “She treats me like royalty, so she deserves them,” says Ed Saffin as he sings the praises of the staff at Kootenay Farm-to-Folk, an […] Read more
Move to farm helped nurture a love of animals
On the Farm: Some of the couple’s more than 70 small animals are for meat and breeding stock and others are pets
ODESSA Sask. — At age 47, Carolyn Wild finally moved to a farm — the kind she’d been dreaming about her whole life. It had lots of room for peacocks, goats, chickens, donkeys, chinchillas, bunnies and guinea pigs. It also came with a wonderful husband. Dave Wild had been single since losing his wife to […] Read more
Farm operation provides home schooling too
On the Farm: The Kyle children are involved in various aspects of Country Road Concepts, an on-farm business
TYVAN, Sask. — It all started with the making of a quilt from old jeans. Upon the sale of that quilt, and a few more craft items, Country Road Concepts was born. Codee Kyle started her on-farm business in 2012 as a way to keep up with her love of crafting while raising her first […] Read more
Rural teacher forced to shift gears
Wendy Weichel learns how to work from home as well as teach her own children after COVID-19 closed schools in Sask.
KENDAL, Sask. — It used to all start at 6 a.m. with a flurry of activity. Wendy Weichel would get her four kids out of bed and launch into busy days filled with a full-time teaching job, farm duties and a smorgasbord of after-school activities from hockey to volleyball to dance. The Grade 2-3 Montmartre […] Read more
Small-town store closure devastates owner
Saskatchewan entrepreneur wonders if her business will be able to recover once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted
The tears flow. It’s all just too much: the store closure due to COVID-19, the disappointed customers, the inability to get new merchandise, the bills. Christine Fitzgerald has faced many challenges in her life, but few have compared to this — a pandemic that has put her entire life savings at risk. The Grenfell, Sask., […] Read more
Grandfather-inspired chicken project thrives
Two Saskatchewan youngsters turn Andi & Alex’s Farm Fresh Eggs into a booming business, gathering up to 10 dozen eggs a day
CREELMAN, Sask.— It all started with a chicken coop built by Grandpa. Last spring, Andi and Alex Ray’s grandfather, John Ray, decided his grandkids would benefit from having a chicken project in their shared farmyard. The grandkids embraced the idea, starting with one brand-new coop and 60 laying hens. One year later, nine-year-old Andi and […] Read more
Love of a lifetime starts with a gift of farming
On the Farm: The choice to farm came naturally for Danny and Diane Kotylak, but starting up wasn’t without obstacles
CANDIAC, Sask. — It all started with a birthday gift — a quarter of land. Danny Kotylak knew he’d be a farmer early in life. With his grandmother gifting him his first quarter section, one-half cultivated and one-half pasture, it was like destiny came calling. “After that, my parents gave me six Simmental heifers to […] Read more
Sask. bakery treats the isolation blues
The bakery in Indian Head, Sask., delivers hot lunches to families forced to stay at home because of COVID-19 measures
INDIAN HEAD, Sask. — COVID-19 is hitting Alison Poelen’s family hard. The single mother of three boys has lost her entire income and she has to wait several weeks to find out about Employment Insurance benefits. But with one ring of her doorbell late last month, the whole family’s spirits were lifted. The Indian Head […] Read more
