MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry expects to receive a study soon on how conservation easements affect the sale price of land. Lands branch executive director Wally Hoehn said the study was launched after resolutions passed at Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association meetings in January. Those motions noted that conservation easements […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Higher fertilizer applications may help boost oat yields
INDIAN HEAD, Sask. — Fertilizer recommendations for oats have typically been on the low side, but a project at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation is looking at what higher application rates can do. Research manager Chris Holzapfel said oats makes the farm more money than canola three out of five years, yet it gets […] Read more
Rangelands threatened, says expert
VAL MARIE, Sask. — Despite sharing the prairie for more than 100 years, there is still much that its disparate users have to learn about their impact on it, says Alberta range specialist Barry Adams. He told a recent Society for Range Management tour in southwestern Saskatchewan that the first thing everyone should do is […] Read more
VIDEO: Installing tile drainage a ‘winning proposition’
Yield benefits in wet, dry years | Cost could be up to $600 per acre
ROULEAU, Sask. — Tile drainage hasn’t traditionally been installed on Saskatchewan cropland, but the last several wet years and a backlash against agricultural drainage have sparked interest in the practice. Wayne Weber, designer of the Crary Tile Pro plow from Morgan, Minnesota, predicts a lot more will come. “This is going to be a new […] Read more
Sask. co-ops eager to expand local produce
OUTLOOK, Sask. — The news that Saskatchewan co-ops intend to buy more than one million pounds of locally produced vegetables this year is a sign growers are on the right track, says vegetable specialist Connie Achtymichuk. However, there is still a lot of room for growth, she said during a Canada Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre […] Read more
Experts study microbes’ pesticide eliminating skills
OUTLOOK, Sask. — Pesticides washed out of a sprayer can account for up to 80 percent of the pesticides found in water bodies, European research has found. That’s why biobeds have become popular on that continent. Biobeds absorb the pesticides and degrade them to eliminate or reduce contamination. The practice is still largely at the […] Read more
Expand irrigation to boost economy: official
Employment benefits | ‘Irrigation development should be a no-brainer,’ says the province’s irrigation association chair
Saskatchewan’s recently released irrigation strategy is a good short-term document, says the chair of the Saskatchewan Irrigation Projects Association. However, Roger Pederson said it is missing provisions for the major infrastructure projects that will really advance the industry. He said the strategy indicates the government will continue to develop irrigation but it emphasizes infill in […] Read moreCo-ops enticed by locally grown corn
OUTLOOK, Sask. — Move over Taber corn. Saskatchewan is preparing to take you on. “You’re going to hear a lot about corn in the next three to five years,” predicts Bryan Kosteroski, value chain manager at the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan. “You’re going to hear the words ‘Saskatchewan sweet corn’ over and over and over […] Read more
Growers tackle issues of what, when, how big
Consistent size, quality needed | Beet, cauliflower and zucchini growers scramble to keep produce from getting too big
OUTLOOK, Sask. — Planting vegetables for retail sale isn’t exactly like planting a backyard garden. Producers have to plant a variety the retailer wants, package it the way the retailer wants and deliver it when the retailer wants. And not everyone can grow every type of vegetable. “When we first started, everyone wanted to grow […] Read moreHemp market smoking with U.S. rule changes
Kroeger Foods and Costco are among new American customers
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — At least one Canadian company sees nothing but good times ahead as the United States loosens its rules regarding hemp production. Clarence Shwaluk, director of farm operations at Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods, said demand is so strong that Canadian producers shouldn’t be worried about losing markets. “Right now they’re just at […] Read more
