Karen Briere

Rachelle Boyes has tasted rodeo success. She won the Canadian Cowboys’ Association barrel racing championships in 2002 and 2004. In 2006, she went pro and tied for fifth at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. “That was my dream and I lived my dream,” she said. But real life has a habit of getting in the way. […] Read more

The head of the Canadian Grain Commission says farmers should be sure they are growing registered varieties. The switch from kernel visual distinguishability to signed declaration forms at delivery has revealed that some farmers are growing varieties that have dropped off the registration list. Elwin Hermanson told the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan annual meeting […] Read more

Volunteer firefighters and first responders in Saskatchewan can soon disobey traffic laws en route to emergencies in their own vehicles. They will also be able to use red flashing lights and sirens. The government has announced that municipalities will be able to designate volunteers’ vehicles as emergency vehicles beginning in April. Volunteer responders must now […] Read more

Western Producer reporter Karen Briere travelled to Ukraine and reports on Canada’s role in development programs. DNIPRODZERZHINSK, Ukraine – Unirem-Agro would fit right in in Saskatchewan. Its Westeel bins dominate the landscape. New Holland and Bourgault equipment sit idle after the growing season. The land is mostly flat, the soil black and normally a bit […] Read more

Western Producer reporter Karen Briere travelled to Ukraine and reports on Canada’s role in development programs. KIEV, Ukraine – There is no doubt Ukrainian farmers can produce grain – this year’s harvest was estimated at 50 million tonnes. But grain quality continues to be an industry-wide concern, considering 70 to 80 percent of the wheat […] Read more

Buyers at Canadian Western Agribition apparently weren’t told the world is in the middle of a financial crisis. A half-interest in a Black Angus bull calf for $82,500, a ranch horse for $25,000 and a Boer goat buck for $2,200 are examples of the prices buyers were willing to pay during last week’s show. As […] Read more

A former editor and publisher of The Western Producer is among the five 2009 inductees to the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. Bob Phillips, who died May 6, 2006, will be posthumously inducted into the hall at a ceremony next August. The announcement was made at Canadian Western Agribition last week. The other inductees are: […] Read more

Bill Prins raises Belgians. His trainer, Zephrin LaRiviere, likes Percherons. That’s how Prins ended up spending $8,500 on Rose Hill Omega, a Percheron filly, at the eighth annual draft horse classic sponsored by the North American Equine Ranching Information Council. The sale stood as the high point of the event held during Canadian Western Agribition […] Read more

Janice Rutherford made history last week as the first female driver in Canadian Western Agribition’s 38-year history to compete in the six-horse hitch class. The news surprised her. “A lot of draft hitches have women who are very capable,” she said in an interview during the show. “I just think they don’t have the opportunity.” […] Read more