Dirty snow melts faster | A continual dusting of fresh snow reduces solar heating and delays melt
Each little dusting of snow is prolonging winter, even if it isn’t adding much to the snow pack. That’s because fresh white snow reflects more of the sun’s radiation back up to the atmosphere than it retains. This keeps the snow cold and prevents melting. The reverse effect is why dirty snow along a grid […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Flooding prompts free well water testing in Sask.
Saskatchewan residents who use private wells for drinking water can have those wells tested at no charge this spring. The Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory will offer free bacteriological testing to help determine if well or cistern water affected by flooding is safe. The Water Security Agency will also offer site assessments of flooded wells and […] Read more
Sask. funds market development
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Lyle Stewart today announced $9 million over five years for a market development program in the province. The money is part of the Growing Forward 2 suite of programs and will be used to help provincial businesses, organizations and producer groups develop and expand international and domestic markets. Federal agriculture minister Gerry […] Read more
Flood preparations beginning in Sask.
Sandbagging has begun around Saskatchewan as people prepare for anticipated spring flooding. More than one million sandbags have been stockpiled in Regina for distribution across southern Saskatchewan as needed. SaskPower has started placing sandbags around flood-prone electrical substations in the southeastern and central parts of the province. The crown corporation is also stockpiling coal to […] Read more
P & H buys crop input facility
Parrish & Heimbecker has announced the purchase of a crop input facility at Langbank, Sask. The facility includes a granular fertilizer operation with custom blending, liquid fertilizer, canola and pedigreed bulk seed and crop protection products. The company also announced that Darryl Balog will be the crop inputs manager at the facility.
Pork producers made food bank donation
SaskPork and Thunder Creek Pork Processing in Moose Jaw, Sask., have donated 2,000 kilograms of fresh pork to Food Banks Saskatchewan. The pork was divided among the Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon food banks. Bill Hall, executive director of Food Banks Saskatchewan, said donations of quality pork are a bonus for food bank clients. “Our […] Read more
Plan targets species at risk
Priorities outlined | Producers worry about legal consequences
An initiative underway in southwestern Saskatchewan will emphasize voluntary conservation of species at risk and critical habitat rather than regulating how it should be done. The South of the Divide Initiative began more than a year ago as a way to help land owners, land managers and others working on the land — such as […] Read moreSask. gov’t to intervene when towns can’t agree
The Saskatchewan government is prepared to step in if cities and rural municipalities can’t agree on development plans. Government relations minister Jim Reiter has introduced amendments to the Planning and Development Act that would allow the province to establish regional planning authorities. Under the existing legislation, two or more municipalities may enter into their own […] Read more
Agribition posts profit
Canadian Western Agribition reported profit of $591,750 for 2012, up more than $200,000. Attendance came in at 122,300 and livestock sales totaled $2.5 million. The figures were released at the annual general meeting in Regina today. Chief executive officer Marty Seymour noted that the show’s economic impact grew 30 percent to $37 million last year. […] Read more
Sask. braces for floods
High runoff potential | Province urges communities to prepare now
The likelihood of flooding has increased in parts of Saskatchewan after a stormy, snowy March, the province’s Water Security Agency said April 8. Persistent cold weather, expected through mid-April, is delaying the melt, which also increases the chance of a fast melt and subsequent flood once the temperature rises, said John Fahlman, director of hydrology […] Read more
