Saskatchewan is updating its animal disease legislation and giving more authority to the province’s chief veterinarian. The Animal Health Act, 2018, was introduced late last year and will replace the Diseases of Animals Act, which has been revised only slightly since it was enacted in 1966. Agriculture Minister David Marit told the legislature during second […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. clears path for smoother agricultural program funding
Saskatchewan has eased the application process for some of its strategic initiatives under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership after a deluge of applications in the final months of Growing Forward 2. Richelle Bourgoin, executive director of the agriculture ministry’s programs branch, said there were, for example, about 7,750 applications under GF2 for the Farm and Ranch […] Read more
Sask. announces funds to tackle scrap tire pile
The Saskatchewan government has approved spending up to $3.3 million to clean up the scrap tire stockpile in Assiniboia. About 6,678 tonnes, or 14.7 million pounds, of tires and tire crumbs have been sitting on the site of the former Assiniboia Rubber Recycling plant since the plant closed in February 2014. The company went into […] Read more
Aussie hesitation on GM canola a costly mistake
Researchers say Australia’s decision to delay seeding GM canola had negative economic and environmental implications
Australia’s decision to delay the adoption of genetically modified canola cost farmers money but more significantly cost the environment, found a study by Canadian and Australian researchers released earlier this year. Stuart Smyth and Scott Biden from the University of Saskatchewan and David Hudson from SGA Solutions in Melbourne, Australia, used Canadian GM canola data […] Read more
Self-reliant bison work well on Sask. farm
On the Farm: The Shankowskys were looking for options during the tough times of the 1990s — they opted for bison
PELLY, Sask. — It’s Grey Cup 1997 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are playing against the Toronto Argonauts. The game is billed as Big Country versus Big City, and Gwyn Shankowsky immediately saw the potential. She, husband Garry and sons Derek and Chris had just bought their first 10 bison and were looking for a name […] Read more
CP’s new cars hit the rails
Canadian Pacific Railway’s new grain cars are shorter and lighter and carry 15 percent more volume and 10 percent more load weight than the old Government of Canada hoppers
PASQUA, Sask. — Canadian Pacific Railway’s first 8,500-foot high efficiency product train of next-generation hopper cars pulled out of the G3 Pasqua terminal near Moose Jaw earlier this month, a shiny, graffiti-free model of the future of grain handling. The cars built by National Steel in Hamilton were among the first delivery of the 500 […] Read moreMore carbon tax exemptions wanted
The Canadian Senate agriculture committee recommends the federal government give farmers more carbon tax exemptions. In its report, Feast or Famine: Impacts of climate change and carbon pricing on agriculture, agri-food and forestry, the committee said the agriculture and forestry sectors must be protected from rising costs due to carbon pricing. The report comes after […] Read more
Deduction rules change for big ag purchases
As year-end approaches, most farmers are taking a look at their tax plans with a view to minimizing payments. It’s important to look at decisions that affect both annual tax bills and long-term retirement and succession plans, said BDO Canada tax partner Shawn Friesen from the company’s office in Portage la Prairie, Man. No one […] Read more
Sask. delays end to Livestock Loan Guarantee Program
The wind-down of Saskatchewan’s Livestock Loan Guarantee Program has been extended to July 31, 2019. Last August, the province announced it would discontinue the program that guaranteed loans to breeder and feeder associations. Originally, the government said the program would end Dec. 31, 2018, but that was pushed to July after discussions found that more […] Read more
Sask. plans to clean up tire pile
A long-standing eyesore in Assiniboia, Sask., will be cleaned up in 2019. Environment Minister Dustin Duncan and Agriculture Minister David Marit announced today that the stockpile of scrap tires at the former Assiniboia Rubber Recycling plant will be disposed of properly. The plant has been closed since February 2014 and went into receivership later that […] Read more
