Stories by Karen Briere
The Saskatchewan and federal governments have signed an agreement to make sure they discuss and agree on future action required because of flooding to fish habitat. The formal protocol agreement stemmed from the 2010 flooding that caused saline water to flow from Houghton Lake into Lenore Lake. Saskatchewan launched legal action in both federal court […] Read more
Sask. crop report finds excellent hay quality
Saskatchewan haying operations are underway, and producers are reporting that quality is good to excellent. The provincial crop report issued today said 17 percent of the hay crop is cut and eight percent has been baled or put into silage. Ninety percent is rated good to excellent. Fall cereals are entering the dough stage, and […] Read more
Second hantavirus death confirmed
Saskatchewan’s Heartland Health Region has confirmed that a second possible case of hantavirus identified last month was positive. An adult female died as a result of complications from the rare illness, which is spread by exposure to deer mice droppings. Although both deaths occurred in west-central Saskatchewan, officials don’t believe they are related. They continue […] Read more

UAE holds untapped potential for farmers
New business model | Firm seeking growers to supply raw materials for processors in United Arab Emirates
When she was an international trade commissioner for Agriculture Canada in Dubai, Nicole Rogers saw the opportunities that Canadian farmers were missing. Dubai and other wealthy Persian Gulf countries don’t grow food. “They’re import dependent,” she told a forum at Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina June 21. “Ninety percent to more of their food […] Read more
Crops, property under water
Agricultural land along the South and North Saskatchewan Rivers were feeling the effects last week as water from Alberta moved eastward. Saskatchewan emergency management officials said June 28 that there were few impacts on communities other than Cumberland House, where more than 2,000 people were evacuated. The only road into the community had already been […] Read more
Problems pile up as farmers cut illegal channels
Downstream neighbours upset | No quick fix for drainage issues in eastern Sask.
CALDER, Sask. — The trenches are visible from the air. Dug by track hoes and other large equipment to move water off farmland, the ditches are easier to spot in the air than from the ground, especially the newer, deeper ones. In this region east of Yorkton, Sask., drainage has been a contentious issue for […] Read moreTake precautions against hantavirus: official
Infection caused by deer mice | Workers cleaning areas where mice live are advised to use wet mopping method
Saskatchewan health officials are cautioning people after confirming the death of an adult male following complications resulting from hantavirus. A second death, an adult female, is being investigated. Both people lived in the Heartland Health Region of west-central Saskatchewan. Officials said they don’t believe the cases are related but the two had similar symptoms. Phil […] Read more
Beef industry lauds new forage research
U of S forage chair appointed | Provincial, federal governments commit $1.25 million to forage research over two years
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s beef industry has applauded the announcement of a forage research chair at the University of Saskatchewan. Cattle producers and other industry stakeholders have lobbied for more forage research for several years. Provincial agriculture minister Lyle Stewart told the recent Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association convention that the province and Ottawa would […] Read more
Protect wildlife with ‘rational’ plan
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Cattle producers from southwestern Sask-atchewan say a plan for species-at-risk recovery in the area must not override their need to earn a living. The South of the Divide multi-species initiative is a federal-provincial project in the Milk River watershed. Taking a multi-species or ecosystem approach will help more species than focusing […] Read more

Rainy day boosts farm show attendance
Rainy, windy days make organizers and exhibitors at Canada’s Farm Progress Show happy. Attendance during a stormy June 20 set an all-time record for that weekday of more than 21,000 people. Final attendance figures were pegged at about 45,000 and show manager Rob O’Connor described the event as fantastic. That was even as the show […] Read more