Diane Rogers

WATROUS, Sask. Ñ Last summer, Darren and Tammy Holmes took apart their 1911 farmhouse and found, as they suspected, no insulation in the walls. “We found a scoop of wood chips that wouldn’t feed a hamster,” said Tammy. So over four months, they did a major renovation that included insulation and new siding for the […] Read more

Rural home owners aren’t getting their fair share of the energy audits and grants offered by the federal Energuide for Houses program, says a review done by the federal natural resources department. According to the review, that’s because few companies were offering energy assessment services in rural areas in the early years of the program. […] Read more

DELISLE, Sask. Ñ The 1916 Eaton’s catalogue house was an abandoned, grey boarded-up building on the north end of Delisle’s First Street for many years. Then a man with carpentry skills bought, renovated and sold it 18 months ago to a young couple who live on an acreage between Delisle and Vanscoy. It is now […] Read more

After eight years in operation, the Canadian Young Farmers Forum is still working on getting every province and territory represented. The forum, which operates under the wing of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, met last month in Ottawa with 30 representatives from across the country. Quebec and Ontario are the strong branches, said Chris Kletke, […] Read more

In an apt setting, half of the 13 songs on Tom Ehman’s newly released CD tribute to farm families were written on the tractor. Ehman, who has been a professional musician for 15 years, went back to farming with his dad last year near Craik, Sask. Farmers need cheering up, said Ehman, but that wasn’t […] Read more

The teacher came around the corner of the school and caught the Grade 9 boy flailing a stick at a group of older boys. The younger student was immediately suspended for two weeks for violence on the school grounds. However, the teacher had jumped to conclusions, says an education department official. Kevin Tunney said the […] Read more

A western Saskatchewan town is having fun with its mouse problem. Residents in the Eston area complained last fall about being overrun by mice. Now that spring is drawing the rodents out of their winter nests, the problem is visible again. Organizers of the annual Eston Trade Fair have decided to hold a contest to […] Read more

ROSTHERN, Sask. Ñ As the only lawyer in Rosthern, Marianne Kramchynsky has seen first-hand the fallout from the continuing BSE border blockage. “I’m seeing a lot of land changing hands now,” she said from her law office. Through farm auctions and her real estate legal work, she has noticed “some fairly large operations are going […] Read more

YOUNG, Sask. Ñ Rural women who explored health concerns at a March 15 workshop in Young are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. They came up with detailed plans that commit them to write letters and prod politicians and health districts for information and changes that would improve how services are […] Read more

Listening to a North American pop song sung in Spanish while people begged for food down an alley was the major contrast one youth saw while on a tour of Central America last month. Erin Brown, a Grade 12 student from Melville, Sask., found that while city residents emulate the wealthier societies of the developed […] Read more