Karen Briere

GULL LAKE, Sask. – Abandoned water wells can pose a serious threat. Just ask a cattle producer who has pulled an animal out of an improperly decommissioned well site. However, abandoned wells can also threaten the new water source. Rob Walcer, senior technologist with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, said the purpose of decommissioning wells properly […] Read more

Most Saskatchewan farmers don’t burn crop residue, unless they grow flax, and they don’t plan to change. A survey conducted in March by Arcas Strategic Marketing Group for the province’s agriculture ministry found that 73 percent of cereal farmers usually chop and spread straw. Another 23 percent bale it. Just one in five farmers grows […] Read more

Debts totalling more than $25 million have forced Natural Valley Farms into receivership. The Saskatchewan horse slaughter and processing facilities at Neudorf and Wolseley continue to operate, but under a lease agreement with Belgium-based Velda, which has been in the international horse meat business for more than 50 years. The lease was established in mid-August, […] Read more

Saskatchewan isn’t fond of sending Liberals to Ottawa. But Ralph Goodale, the incumbent Wascana MP, has proved a steadfast exception over the last 15 years and is likely to earn a sixth consecutive victory Oct. 14. As he wages his latest campaign, the soon-to-be 59-year-old continues to have strong support in a province otherwise painted […] Read more

Flippant comments from federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz during the listeriosis outbreak could be the difference between a Conservative majority and a minority, says a University of Saskatchewan political scientist. David McGrane said making light of food safety doesn’t play well in Ontario, where most of the recent listeriosis deaths have occurred. It could also […] Read more

The Maple Leaf plant at the heart of the listeriosis outbreak reopened last week amid more food recalls and the death of a Manitoba infant from the disease. It wasn’t yet known if the child, a six-week-old girl who lived in the province’s north, had contracted the disease from the same strain of listeria as […] Read more

The great white combine may have taken a record toll on Saskatchewan crops this year. Hail claims numbered more than 19,000 as of Sept. 11, with more likely to come. Losses per claim are also much higher than usual. Murray Otterson, chief executive officer of Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance, said more than 11,000 of the […] Read more

The number of Canadians who contracted listeriosis from the same strain of bacteria found at Maple Leaf Foods in Toronto climbed to 45 last week. Most of the cases, 35, are in Ontario. The others are in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. There are 15 suspected cases including one each in New Brunswick […] Read more

Just in time for winter, the Saskatchewan government has approved natural gas rate increases. Effective Oct. 1, heating bills will rise an average of 20 percent. The change will add about $19.50 per month to the average residential bill. Low-use farm customers will pay about $200 more per year, while average gas use on farms […] Read more