The U.S. drought may be taking the blame for Big Sky Farms entering receivership last week but court documents show that Canada’s second largest pork company was in trouble long before feed prices shot up. Ernst and Young has been named the receiver for the Humboldt, Sask., company that produces about one million hogs per […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Shelter belts still play valuable role
INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN, Manitoba-North Dakota border — Planting trees to establish or rejuvenate a windbreak isn’t the backbreaking work it once was. The hardest part just might be convincing farmers they need to do it. Shelter belts are still an important part of conservation agriculture, said experts at a recent Canada-U.S. windbreak conference. Advances in […] Read more
Tree planting project popular
North Dakota farmers eager to take part in windbreak renovation program
BOTTINEAU, N.D. — Anne Ehni is leading a major renovation project in North Dakota from a tractor. The manager of the Wells County Soil Conservation District told a recent Canada-U.S. windbreak conference that there are 88,500 kilo-metres of field windbreaks in the state and 64,000 km of them need renovation. The decline of established farmstead […] Read more
Assess shelter belt to ensure it’s doing job required
INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN, Manitoba-North Dakota border — Aging shelter belts and windbreaks are common across the Prairies and the U.S. Plains. However, age is only one reason why some of them are no longer in good condition, and removing them isn’t the only solution. Steve Rasmussen, forester with the Nebraska Forest Service, said sometimes the […] Read more
Potash deal signed with Indonesia
Canpotex has signed four five-year potash agreements with Indonesian buyers. The signings took place during a trade mission to Asia led by Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall. Indonesian imports of Saskatchewan potash have grown by 85 percent in the last five years. Farmers there use it to grow crude palm oil, rice, corn and cash crops. […] Read more
Sask. expected to reluctantly sign BRM agreement
Not an ideal deal | Provincial ag minister unlikely to risk losing federal funding for research, sources say
Saskatchewan will likely sign onto a new federal-provincial business risk management program this week with which it doesn’t necessarily agree. It has to if it wants to receive funding for non-BRM provincial-specific programming that has yet to be negotiated. Agriculture ministers are meeting in Whitehorse Sept. 12-14 to sign the next five-year farm support agreement […] Read moreSask. premier makes trade promotion trip to Asia
First time to Indonesia Trip is also intended to deal with recurring trade irritants with the growing region
Agricultural products and issues are on the agenda for premier Brad Wall and 25 Saskatchewan-based companies on a trade trip to Asia. Wall said Sept. 6 he intended to help open doors for the producers and sellers of canola, wheat and other products, but he also planned to address recurring trade irritants. The Sept. 8-17 […] Read moreAnthrax no longer under CFIA umbrella
Coping with anthrax will soon be a matter only for cattle producers and their veterinarians as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency withdraws from dealing with the disease. As of April 1, 2013, the CFIA will no longer investigate and quarantine premises infected with anthrax, collect samples and submit them for testing, provide the initial dose […] Read more
Politics from the ground up
Building Saskatchewan | 100-year-old legislative building stands proud
I place my foot in the depression on the marble stairway and begin to climb. Each of the 85 stairs from basement to third floor is worn from 100 years of footsteps placed in the exact same spot closest to the railing. Yes, there are elevators in the Saskatchewan legislative building, but taking the stairs […] Read moreFires banned in Cypress Hills park
Saskatchewan’s environment ministry has banned all open fires in the Centre and West blocks of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park due to extremely dry conditions. All burning permits in the area have been suspended until the ministry reinstates them. Several roads have also been closed to help fire suppression efforts. These include all roads and trails […] Read more
