Saskatchewan highways minister Nancy Heppner says she will wait for a complete investigation into a May 2 fatal crash in a construction zone before deciding if further safety measures are needed. Three teenage boys from Carrot River, Sask., were killed after a semi-trailer unit rear-ended vehicles stopped on Highway 6 near Spalding at about 4:20 […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Program pays for restoring sloughs
The program will provide compensation after assessing environmental benefits of each project
Landowners in east-central and southeastern Saskatchewan who want to close old drainage ditches and restore sloughs could be eligible for financial help. Four watershed associations — Assiniboine, Lower Qu’Appelle, Upper Souris and Lower Souris — obtained funding through the National Conservation Plan to offer a program that will pay $2,000 per acre of restored wetland […] Read more
Farmers launched bold plan
LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — If it’s true that the first five years in business are the toughest, then John and Robin Acton must wonder what lies ahead for their Lower Shannon Farms. Three years ago they took a chance that people in northwestern Saskatchewan would appreciate and, more importantly, buy locally grown produce year-round. They were […] Read more
Sask. sour gas draws concern
Hydrogen sulfide emissions have reached deadly levels at some Sask-atchewan oil wells, prompting the government to step up inspections. The problem is mainly in southeastern Saskatchewan, where the geology is such that the oil reservoirs become sour as they age, officials said. Typically, the province’s oil wells have been sweet. Drilling fluids also introduce bacteria […] Read more
New tax measures may assist farm succession
Government uses federal budget to raise lifetime capital gains exemption for farmers and lower small business tax
An increase in the lifetime capital gains exemption for farmers in last week’s federal budget has drawn praise from farm leaders. Agriculture didn’t rate a mention in finance minister Joe Oliver’s April 21 speech, but the decision to raise the exemption from $813,600 to $1 million for farm owners met with widespread approval. It will […] Read moreIndian pulse officials meet Sask. exporters
Saskatchewan’s exports could easily double if weather issues reduce the Indian crop of 18 million tonnes drops by 10 percent. “That’s how important the relationship is, said Guru Rao of Edelweiss Commodity Services Ltd. He was part of a delegation from India’s pulse industry that was in Sask-atchewan last week to check growing conditions and […] Read more
First ever Sask. Party MLA announces retirement
Wayne Elhard, the first Saskatchewan Party MLA ever elected, will not run again. He has represented Cypress Hills since a June 1999 byelection and says he will stay on until the next provincial election, expected in April 2016. In the last election in 2011 Elhard received almost 83 percent of the vote, the second-highest ever […] Read more
Sask. PCs want halt of farmland sales to Chinese potash firm
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan says a Chinese-based potash company should not be able to buy farmland while a review of ownership legislation is underway. Yancoal received an exemption from the Farm Land Security Board in February 2014 to buy up to 60,000 acres in the rural municipalities of Longlaketon, Cupar, Huron, Eyebrow and […] Read more
Sask. grain bag recycling pilot gets extension
Saskatchewan will continue its grain bag recycling pilot project for one more year as it works toward establishing a permanent program. Simply Ag Solutions will receive $200,000 from the federal-provincial Growing Forward 2 program to continue collecting grain bags and twine across the province. The organization shipped 1.87 million pounds of plastic from 13 collection […] Read more
Nebraska pipeline critic warns Canadian farmers
Landowners told to educate themselves on pros and cons
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Ben Gotschall is a beef producer, dairy farmer and poet. However, he is also the energy director for an organization called Bold Nebraska and is likely best known for his work to stop TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline from going through the state. Last week he was part of a […] Read more
