Ever since the nuclear power plant discussion died down, Saskatchewan has been largely left out of the big electricity debate, which has been sparking conversation, both inside and outside legislatures, in its neighbouring provinces. It will be interesting to see whether a similar debate emerges as Sask-Power, the province’s electrical utility, invests $10 billion into […] Read more
Stories by Joanne Paulson
Community improvement funds welcome
I have been known to publicly complain about the low level of funding provided to rural communities. It’s one of those broken record things, like whining about the weather or cuts to federal agriculture funding. I therefore feel it is incumbent upon me to positively note that the Stephen Harper government, through Western Economic Diversification, […] Read more
Learning doesn’t take a vacation
Palm Springs does not exactly leap to mind as the first place to study agriculture. I admit to having been much more interested, at least at first, in the azure pool and bright flowers just outside the little hotel room we booked for a week of R & R. However, as that burned-out feeling began […] Read more
My two cents on eliminating the penny
In a post-budget discussion last week, Western Producer Farm Living editor Karen Morrison sent me back in time on a cloud of nostalgia. All she did was note that when we were young, you could stick a penny in a gumball machine and chew on the bounty for as long as the flavour lasted. It […] Read more
Information packed paper keeps growing
Copy editor Bruce Dyck was wondering aloud the other day why he could once lay out the entire Western Producer, editorially speaking, almost all by himself. He was the sole layout editor in the late 1980s and early 1990s, although he got some help on a few of the pages. He began looking through the […] Read more
Speech abroad unlikely to impress retirees
There are right ways and wrong ways to do certain important things. For example, if you are going to break up with someone, it’s generally accepted that doing so face to face is significantly more respectful than, say, e-mailing. It’s also better than breaking bad news during a speech delivered on the other side of […] Read more
Good books get you through rough days
New book: I often mention the wonderful staff at The Western Producer: talented and engaged reporters, subscription and advertising staff who know their stuff, and the IT, accounting, creative and production people who make the place hum and the paper look great. We also have a stable of freelancers who are important contributors to this […] Read more
Snow and cold play important role in farming
I’m told that grass fires in the chinook-swept portions of Saskatchewan and particularly Alberta are not all that uncommon in winter. The winds blow in, suck up all the moisture and leave behind a landscape ripe for crisping. January grass fires are not part of my experience, coming from a town where there is normally […] Read more
Canaryseed growers want gov’t action on Mexican trade dispute
Saskatchewan canaryseed growers resolved yesterday to press the Canadian government for more help in protecting sales to their best market — Mexico. There was no opposition to the resolution at a Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan meeting during Crop Production Week in Saskatoon. Executive director Kevin Hursh said the CDCS believes only high level political […] Read more
Everything dear begins at home
They say home is where the heart is, an old and perhaps hackneyed phrase that nonetheless chimes with all of us. That’s where it all begins on the home quarter. You don’t build a beautiful pool because you want a dip now and then; you build it so family and friends can gather and have […] Read more
