Diane Rogers

In the past 20 years, farm women have reduced their gardening and canning, and picked up new jobs such as dealing with salespeople. A unique study of Canadian farm family work commissioned by the National Farmers Union has found a blurring of traditional work tasks. Diane Martz, a researcher the NFU hired to conduct the […] Read more

After training 320 future leaders in face-to-face sessions, the Saskatchewan Council for Community Development decided there had to be a faster way. So the council has launched a website to churn out more people educated about how to keep rural communities alive. There is a “huge demand” and a waiting list for the council’s face-to-face […] Read more

The federal government is still sorting out how much money it will give the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association to continue its work. CASA has had $1 million a year since 1994 to develop campaigns that urge farmers and their families to be safe. Former CASA chair Cathy Vanstone is heading the group’s “visioning” committee this […] Read more

WINNIPEG – Words were flying as farmers and safety professionals disagreed recently about a common practice. At the end of the day, those attending the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association’s annual conference on Nov. 3-5 failed to reach a conclusion about the wisdom of taking children into a tractor cab while a parent works. On the […] Read more

WINNIPEG – Farmers get too many exemptions for their vehicles, two enforcement officials told a national safety conference Nov. 4. Until recently, combines, seeders and other slow-moving farm vehicles did not have to have the same warning lights and symbols as commercial vehicles when travelling Manitoba roads. Five deaths from three collisions with farm equipment […] Read more

WINNIPEG – About 10 toddlers and pre-schoolers die on Canadian farms each year and that must stop, says a doctor who compiles the statistics. Dr. Rob Brison, a professor of emergency medicine at Queen’s University, told a national conference that young children must be the priority in safety campaigns. “I’ve spent hundreds of hours reading […] Read more

Living with less fear has been the bonus of going to asthma camp, says 14-year-old Meghan Parks of MacDowall, Sask. This past summer’s five-day camp at Lake Diefenbaker made her feel more confident about living with her breathing condition on her parents’ white-tailed deer farm. She can pet the deer and romp with the dogs. […] Read more

The question “how to harness a 4-H parent’s energy for good, not evil” drew laughter and woeful recognition at a seminar during a meeting of the Saskatchewan 4-H Council. The Oct. 26 seminar offered ideas on how to ensure parents don’t take over a club meant for their kids. AnnMarie Nielson Griffin, a 4-H specialist […] Read more

Adults are often to blame if competition pushes aside the co-operative spirit in 4-H clubs. A focus on the grand champion animal at 4-H livestock events, and placing ribbon winners at the front of the sales list can send the wrong message, said two specialists at the Saskatchewan 4-H Council meeting. “Winning is not why […] Read more

With a little bit of money, Montana has kept more of its youth at home on farms and ranches. During a Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce conference on Oct. 29, state agricultural official Sam Antoniuk outlined the program that is helping keep rural Montana populated with a new generation of producers. He said the United States […] Read more