Saskatchewan has signed an agreement with Ottawa to try to recover funds it spent to help producers affected by bovine tuberculosis quarantines. The AgriRecovery initiative was signed earlier this month after the province helped producers with the costs of keeping animals that should have gone to market. Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart had said in January […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Trade, market access top priorities in Sask. APF survey
Saskatchewan producers say trade and market access are top priorities for the next agriculture policy framework. The provincial government said this morning that 887 people, three quarters of them producers, responded to a recently completed online survey on the non-business risk management components of the framework. Other respondents were consumers, organizations, processors, researchers and business. […] Read more
Neonic hearings get variety of opinions
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s decision last fall to phase out imidacloprid within three to five years continues to reverberate through the agricultural community. The House of Commons agriculture committee began examining the issue during meetings last week, although the PMRA is a Health Canada agency. The PMRA made its decision based on harmful effects […] Read more
VIDEO: Farm takes plunge to improve animal health
VIBANK, Sask. — Zeus calmly enters the enclosure that will soon have him belly-deep in room temperature water. The treadmill starts, water begins to flow in and he walks for 25 minutes. At one point, he dips his head for a drink. As his hydrotherapy treatment ends, the water level drops and the tank empties, […] Read more
Saskatchewan flood risk low
Last week’s blizzard likely didn’t add enough to the snow pack to change the spring runoff forecast, says Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency. Officials were already expecting above-normal spring flows for southeastern Saskatchewan based on wetter than normal conditions last fall and above-normal snowfall. “A lot of that snowstorm … there wasn’t a whole lot of […] Read more
Ag committee gives policy input
The House of Commons agriculture committee has tabled 18 recommendations in a report to the federal government on what the next agriculture policy framework should contain. The federal, provincial and territorial ministers are expected to sign the next five-year agreement in St. John’s in July, although Saskatchewan minister Lyle Stewart said they are still in […] Read more
Survey seeks to improve ag services
Saskatchewan farmers, ranchers and agribusiness operators have until the end of this month to let the government know how they prefer to receive advice and information. Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart last week announced an online public survey on agricultural extension services. He said the ministry wants to ensure it is meeting farmers’ needs. “We’re asking […] Read more
Carbon pricing sparks frustration at CFA meeting
Western Producer reporter Karen Briere attended The Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting in Ottawa and filed this report Frustrated farmers lined up at a microphone during the Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting last week to vent about provincial carbon policies. One delegate noted Saskatchewan, which is staunchly opposed to any scheme, probably has […] Read more
As society, technology advances, so does agriculture
Farms are getting bigger, farmers are educated, using high-tech equipment, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t family farms
The exodus of people from farms to urban centres over the past 80 years drove social and economic change that few people recognize, says agriculture economist Al Mussell. “There’s a story that we’re not telling, and it’s a pretty amazing story, I think,” said the Agri-Food Economic Systems research lead from Guelph, Ont. “We managed […] Read moreSaskPower seeks input on location for new power projects
Open houses to be held for feedback from residents in the Regina area on the transmission line and power facility
SaskPower is reviewing input from a series of open houses as it determines the best location for a new natural gas power-generating facility and transmission line. The two separate projects are both planned for the Regina area. Doug Opseth, director of supply planning at the crown corporation, said more generating capacity is required. “Even with […] Read more
