Dan Yates

Brand enhancement | Label can be used on fresh fruit to tell consumers it is locally grown

Prairie fruit growers hope the image of a strawberry can do for their industry what a green leaf did for tree fruit growers in British Columbia. Growers in those provinces now have a logo to call their own, thanks to a partnership of the three prairie producer groups called the Canadian Prairie Fruit Federation initiative. […] Read more

Landowners need to do due diligence, says Sask. producer

It wasn’t Bill Dillabaugh’s first time negotiating a surface lease agreement with an oil company when he was approached by a landman earlier this year. Dillabaugh has farmed and raised cattle against the backdrop of oil production since the early 1980s. More than 40 wells dot the 8,000 acres near Coleville, Sask., that he works […] Read more

Construction prompted concerns | Landowners worried that activity would affect the quality of their well water

Lorraine Beaudette had a few questions when a construction crew started digging on land neigh-bouring a PotashCorp facility west of Saskatoon last month. Concerned about how the project south of the Cory mine might affect her water supply, Beaudette started making phone calls to the company and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park. “It’s a […] Read more

Native prairie | Conservation project, which began in 2012, develops site specific management plans for farmers

Hairy prairie clover is listed as a threatened plant species, but it still appears regularly in sandy parts of Saskatchewan. It grows in native prairie and is foraged by cattle. “The ranchers like it. We like it. We want to see it around and so do the ranchers,” said Chet Neufeld, executive director of the […] Read more

Patrons of community pastures in Saskatchewan will be able to use fixed assets on the land at no cost when the provincial government takes control of the pastures. “It was something that myself, I hadn’t thought would happen, and it’s a great thing for the patrons,” said Larry Grant of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. “It […] Read more

FCL posts record sales Officials warn of competitive challenges ahead with Walmart, Target

Federated Co-operatives Ltd. announced record sales for 2012 last week, but delegates at its annual meeting in Saskatoon were warned of increasing pressure from large competitors in key business sectors. “The marketplace is changing and to compete we need to keep improving. We know that the status quo is not an option,” FCL chief executive […] Read more

There’s a lot to gain by taking a closer look at plant roots, says Agwest Bio president Wilf Keller. He made the case for an investment in root biology during a recent University of Saskatchewan-organized Food Summit in Saskatoon. Making modifications to the root and the region where the soil and root interact could improve […] Read more

A wide-ranging report has tackled issues of water and agriculture from all angles, from robotics to genetics. The report, which was published last week and is now in the hands of Agriculture Canada, offers a laundry list of recommendations that identify areas where additional investment in research could contribute to better, more sustainable management of […] Read more