Cattle buyers can be assured of one thing at Whitewood Livestock Sales’ presorted calf sales this fall. All the calves on offer at the Saskatchewan auction mart will be age verified. Manager Rhett Parks said he decided to insist on that when setting his fall sale schedule. “When times are tough, I’ve got to get […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Gardener puts green thumb to work to help others
Charon Blakley watched the television commercials about people living with leprosy and wished she could help. It costs $350 to cure one person from the disease and she needed a project to raise that money. She had the idea of one person helping one person. So this spring, on her farm just south of Langenburg, […] Read more
Natural gas rates to decrease in Sask.
Natural gas rates in Saskatchewan are going down just as SaskEnergy customers are turning thermostats up. The Crown utility announced Sept. 28 it has requested the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel approve a commodity rate decrease from $5.96 per gigajoule to $5.21. It has also asked for an increase to its delivery charge, citing higher operating […] Read more
Former horse slaughter plant up for auction
The assets of Natural Valley Farms will likely be up for auction later this fall after unsuccessful efforts to sell the slaughter facility and processing plant. The Court of Queen’s Bench recently approved an amendment to the receivership order from last fall allowing the sale of assets through a breakup auction, if necessary, said receiver […] Read more
Cattle deaths net charges
Two men from the Outlook, Sask., area have been charged after nearly 300 cattle were seized from their property last March. Wayne Robinson, 53, and Barrett Robinson, 26, both face two counts under the Criminal Code for causing unnecessary suffering to cattle. The pair will appear in Outlook provincial court Oct. 8. Outlook RCMP sgt. […] Read more
XL reopening on hold
XL Foods will not reopen its beef plant in Moose Jaw, Sask., on Sept. 28 as originally planned. On Sept. 18, the company locked out the approximately 200 workers laid off in April. Employees received letters saying that the recall date in their layoff notices had been superseded by an immediate lockout because the union […] Read more
Sask. water program extended
Producers and communities who couldn’t complete projects approved under the 2008 Saskatchewan Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure program have been given a reprieve. A shortage of contractors has led to an extension of the completion deadline to Nov. 1, 2010. The federal and provincial governments announced the one-year extension Sept. 21. Provincial agriculture minister Bob […] Read more
Wildlife corridor sparks TB worry
Plans for what some producers call the TB highway do not sit well with western Manitoba cattle producers. Ray Armbruster, a producer from Rossburn, Man., who chairs the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association animal health committee, said allowing deer and elk to wander more freely between Riding Mountain National Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Park by […] Read more
Returning cattle face extra fee
Thousands of cattle will head home to Alberta this fall after spending the summer in Saskatchewan. In the northwest region alone, 23,000 to 26,000 cattle from Alberta graze in Saskatchewan each summer. Each time the cattle move over the border, their owners are required to pay inspection fees. Some producers say that is one cost […] Read more
Nominees picked for Sask. cattle group election
Twenty-six producers have been nominated for a spot on the first-ever elected board of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. Nominations closed Sept. 15 for the 11 positions based on the nine provincial crop districts. Districts 3 and 9 were split in two because of their large cattle populations. Three of the nominees are automatically on the […] Read more
