Patrons of former federal pastures in Saskatchewan will be able to lease the land if buying it isn’t feasible, says agriculture minister Lyle Stewart. Initially, the province said it intended to sell the 60 pastures it is inheriting from Ottawa by 2018. But when the first 10 to be transferred were announced Oct. 19, Stewart […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. throne speech emphasizes agriculture
Agricultural research and innovation will remain priorities for the Saskatchewan government, said the throne speech delivered this afternoon by lieutenant governor Vaughn Solomon Scofield. The speech to begin the legislative session highlighted initiatives documented in the recently announced growth plan, such as the goal to see agricultural exports rise from $10 billion in 2011 to […] Read more
Plant breeder to receive Sask. Order of Merit
Well-known crop breeder Brian Rossnagel is among eight people who will receive the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in a ceremony next month. Now a professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, Rossnagel is an expert in oat and barley genetics who developed more than 90 new cultivars during his years as a plant breeder. The […] Read more
Sask. battles pine beetle in Cypress Hills
Saskatchewan will spend up to $240,000 over the next three years to curb the mountain pine beetle infestation in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. It awarded Duncan Henderson Contracting of British Columbia a contract to cut, pile and burn infested lodgepole pines in the park. Beetle populations have been climbing the past four years, and last […] Read more
Manitoba pilot program offers incentive to plant shelter belts
Trees ripped out | Farmers want to put the maximum acres to work
INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN, Manitoba-North Dakota border — Trees are often the first to suffer in large-scale agriculture. Shelter belts that have stood for 100 years are ripped out to accommodate large equipment and allow farmers to earn more per acre. This is particularly true in areas where potatoes are the crop of choice. Ralph Oliver […] Read moreTree buffers suck up odour, dust
Pollutants trapped | Design of the yard, type of trees and wind direction play role in effectiveness
INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN, Manitoba-North Dakota border — Locating intensive livestock operations away from populated areas is one way to keep odour from being an issue. Trees are another. Shelter belts known as vegetative environmental buffers (VEB) can trap air pollutants and dust escaping from large-scale hog and poultry barns, said John Tyndall, a professor of […] Read morePractical courses teach life skills
Hands-on classes a hit | Saskatchewan curriculum requires applied arts courses for all students
Practical, hands-on classes such as home economics and industrial arts are back in vogue. Not that they ever disappeared from school curricula, but their popularity is soaring as high school students look to trades-based careers. Many school divisions cut their practical and applied arts (PAA) programming in the 1990s, said Gord Heidel, PAA co-ordinator for […] Read moreGov’t identifies first community pastures to be privatized
Saskatchewan has named the first 10 pastures that will be transferred from the federal government to the province to patrons by 2014. They are: Estevan-Cambria, Excel, Fairview, Ituna-Bon Accord, Keywest, Lone Tree, McCraney, Newcombe, Park and Wolverine. Patrons will have the opportunity to either buy or lease the pastures, said agriculture minister Lyle Stewart. The […] Read more
Olymel makes stalking horse bid for Big Sky
Olymel LP is the stalking horse bidder for the assets of hog company Big Sky Farms, according to court documents filed by the receiver, Ernst and Young. The processor will bid $65.25 million for the Canadian assets of the Saskatchewan-based hog operation, plus or minus adjustments depending on factors such as hog inventory and accounts […] Read more
Sask. forecasts significant agricultural growth in eight-year plan
Saskatchewan’s growth plan for the next eight years calls for crop production to increase by 10 million tonnes and agricultural exports to rise to $15 billion. Premier Brad Wall released the plan in Saskatoon to a Chamber of Commerce audience, noting agriculture’s contribution to the provincial economy. He said the province would invest more in […] Read more
