Saskatchewan will contribute its 40 percent share of the AgriRecovery program announced earlier this month for beef and pork producers. Agriculture minister David Marit said May 14 the province would pay $5 million to fund the set-aside program. That gives livestock producers access to a total of 12.5 million. Ottawa announced its 60 percent on […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Cattle producers support food banks
Saskatchewan’s two main beef organizations are working together to fight hunger. The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association began its Beef Drive for food banks in 2016, and this week the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association donated $10,000 to the cause. The project has seen nearly 30,000 pounds of beef, plus thousands of dollars, donated to Food Banks of […] Read more
Many power line, pole contacts reported in Sask.
SaskPower has already reported nearly 40 incidents this spring of farm equipment contacting power lines or poles. This week, about 9,300 customers were left without power in the Lanigan and Dafoe areas after an auger contacted a 72,000-volt distribution line. No one was hurt but a small grass fire started as a result. The corporation […] Read more
COVID-19 remains quiet in southern Sask.
While cases of COVID-19 continue to rise and cause concern in northern Saskatchewan, all appears quiet in the rural south. As of May 8, cases in the central region remained at 11, while the south had recorded 15. Neither zone has had an active or new case since the end of April. Regina had only […] Read more
Mother Nature opens wide her bag of tricks
May is likely to throw a little bit of everything at prairie farmers trying to get the 2020 crop in the ground, say weather experts. “A little bit of rain, some sunshine, some more cold weather,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. “It’s going to be kind of just a general mix of weather […] Read more
Pandemic threatens to complicate wildfire season
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is warning farmers and landowners to be careful to prevent wildfires and grassfires this spring. Acting vice-president Steve Roberts said this spring isn’t necessarily drier than any other, but COVID-19 presents additional challenges for residents of the agricultural zone. “What we’d like to ensure is that our first responders are […] Read more
Organic markets unaffected by COVID
Organic grain premiums are holding up so far in the COVID-19 world, according to Mercaris. The data service and trading platform for organic grains is an American company that focuses on corn, soybeans and wheat in both food and feed markets but has recently expanded into oats, barley, rye and pulses. Sales director Alex Heilman […] Read more
Regina farm show postponed
Canada’s Farm Progress Show has been postponed due to COVID-19. This was to be a year of change for the show, held by Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., as it intended to move to a Tuesday-to-Thursday schedule. It was scheduled for June 16 to 18. The show advisory board and exhibition association decided to postpone but […] Read more
Sask. unveils economic stimulus package
Saskatchewan today announced a $7.5 billion two-year capital plan as a way to help the province recover economically from COVID-19. However, only $2 billion of that is new money and much of the extra spending will come in 2021-22. The stimulus package includes the $2.7 billion in crown and executive government spending that was announced […] Read more
COVID-19 linked to Sask. dairy plant
Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Saputo dairy processing plant in Saskatoon. Scott Livingstone, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said May 5 that a single employee at a Saskatoon dairy facility tested positive. “At this time an active case investigation is underway, and based on that investigation there has […] Read more
