The Saskatchewan government won’t directly help Iogen Corp. bring a cellulosic ethanol plant to the province, no matter where it locates. The company had intended to build at Birch Hills but just recently disclosed it is looking at the now-closed Domtar pulp mill near Prince Albert, about 25 kilometres away from Birch Hills. Energy minister […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. greenhouse gas law could affect farms, feedlots
How Saskatchewan’s new greenhouse gas legislation will affect agriculture is still unknown, but the industry will figure in both sides of the emission equation. Agriculture is responsible for 17 percent of the province’s emissions, according to 2007 data, but it also offers offset opportunities such as carbon sequestration, agri-forestry and renewable energy. Kim Graybiel, director […] Read more
Pork producers won’t see new aid despite setback
The Saskatchewan government is not planning more assistance for hog producers in the wake of the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud, responding to questions from opposition critic Pat Atkinson, said that producers are receiving cheques from the hog support program announced in February. Producers who applied are receiving $20 for each market hog […] Read more
Nature group concerned over sale of crown land
Nature Saskatchewan is keeping a close eye on the provincial government’s crown land sale program. Although agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud has repeatedly said that land protected by the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act won’t be sold, Nature Saskatchewan isn’t so sure. The organization generally doesn’t involve itself in political issues, said acting general manager Gary Seib. […] Read more
Saskferco sale pays off for province
The sale of Investment Saskatchewan’s interest in Saskferco, the fertilizer plant at Belle Plaine, pushed the corporation’s earnings to an all-time high. The corporation sold the plant to Yara International last year for $816.9 million, resulting in overall earnings of $691 million. That is far above the target of $42.2 million and the $11.5 million […] Read more
Growing food excites little green thumbs
Most children aren’t as enthusiastic about vegetables as those who gathered at a Regina school last week. But that’s exactly what the Little Green Thumbs program is trying to change. Students from rural Saskatchewan schools in Assiniboia, Avonlea, Eyebrow and Southey joined their hosts at Athabasca School to celebrate their green thumbs and the From […] Read more
Students take safety to heart
TUGASKE, Sask. – Children who might normally wiggle in their seats sat quietly as Murray McWilliams and Darwin McClughan stood before them. They listened attentively to the men’s stories, clearly grasping the enormity of what had happened to them as a result of farm accidents. McWilliams, now 62, was just four when he was picked […] Read more
Cancer drug coverage Sask. farmer’s legacy
Keith Whyte, a Bengough, Sask., farmer who took his personal fight with cancer to the national stage, died April 23 in a hospital in Weyburn, Sask. Whyte was 64. He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in June 2006 and fought successfully for coverage of the drug Avastin. By the time that happened in January 2008, […] Read more
Animal cruelty charges laid
A woman from Findlater, Sask., will face charges of animal cruelty in provincial court next month. The woman was charged after the SPCA seized 13 horses and one pig in October following a complaint that they were not being properly cared for, which can mean lack of food, water or shelter or that sick animals […] Read more
Feds extend farm loan program
EDGELEY, Sask. – Flanked by his agriculture minister and people who might benefit from the announcement, prime minister Stephen Harper made good May 1 on a budget promise to extend more credit to farmers. Harper chose the backdrop of a Saskatchewan farm to announce amendments to the Farm Improvement and Marketing Cooperative Loans Act (FIMCLA). […] Read more
