Diane Rogers

MANITOU BEACH, Sask. – Former Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric Upshall says it is more fun to be in retail serving the public, than in politics. “This is Grand Central Station in terms of the people here,” he said of Manitou Beach Store, which he officially opened June 22. While the convenience store and gas station […] Read more

WARMAN, Sask. – At 9 a.m., Jason Wildeboar, finished with the first of today’s three milkings, is trying to wrench a flat tire off a piece of equipment. There is always work to do, as he well knows. He grew up on a dairy farm in Lacombe, Alta., and spent a few years working as […] Read more

VANSCOY, Sask. – The first batch of the coffee row regulars arrives within seconds of each other at 7:12 a.m., minutes after the Robin’s Nest restaurant opens. The teasing begins as Robin Odnokon pours coffee at table number nine. Another day has begun in this small town restaurant in central Saskatchewan. “Relic,” as his coffee […] Read more

Check your image of the modern librarian at the door. “We no longer have to wear orthopedic shoes; buns are optional and some of us have had laser surgery and don’t have to wear those glasses,” joked Linda Pleskach about her profession. Commuting daily from her Beausejour, Man., farm, Pleskach heads the Selkirk public library. […] Read more

In the nine years since rural Saskatchewan lost 52 hospitals, volunteer people trained as first responders have filled in the emergency medical gap. But consistency of care can differ. Setting standards so all rural people get the same level of care, and so it is no different than urban treatment, is the goal of a […] Read more

The top dog for the British Columbia Women’s Institute doesn’t even live in the province. Joan Holthe, who was elected president at the group’s June 7-9 annual meeting in Cranbrook, B.C., lives on a cattle ranch in Alberta’s Peace River district. But her closest community and the WI branch she belongs to are in Dawson […] Read more

At a community event surrounded by a few of the 2,000 babies he has delivered, Dr. Stuart Iglesias will receive Alberta’s first award for a rural physician. The “distinction in practice” honour is to be given June 19 to the 55-year-old Hinton, Alta., doctor by a provincial government committee called the Alberta Rural Physician Action […] Read more

Someone is always responsible when a person is injured or dies on a farm. It is a harsh but necessary message, says Jim Dosman, director of the Centre for Agricultural Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Unless people are educated to the fact that all accidents are preventable events, they won’t change. That is what […] Read more

An Ontario dairy producer thinks farmers need a good laugh these days. “There’s so many elements they can’t control like weather, markets and governments,” said Paul Mussell. So for the past eight years he has been working up a comedy act that he has taken to hunting club banquets, farmer appreciation nights, comedy nightclubs and […] Read more

Farmers’ markets can offer a safe financial diversification to those who are willing to organize their products, drive them to town and talk with customers over the weigh scale. It is a less risky venture than raising exotic animals, says Michael Gertler, a sociology professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He and rural studies professor […] Read more