Saskatchewan Liberal leader David Karwacki says the current legislative assembly is not addressing critical issues like farm income problems. That’s why he will seek election in the Weyburn-Big Muddy provincial byelection expected in June. He told reporters gathered on the steps of the legislature in Regina that neither the governing NDP nor the opposition Saskatchewan […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. farm advisory group meets
Farm leaders at a Regina meeting last week say they’ve made a good start toward developing a stronger agricultural sector in Saskatchewan. The first meeting of the 60-member Farm Leaders Advisory Group was held to identify issues that should be dealt with and how to go about finding solutions that benefit everyone, said Saskatchewan agriculture […] Read more
Reopening of Sask. pork plant postponed by last-minute delay
Plans to reopen Worldwide Pork in Moose Jaw, Sask., early this month have been delayed. Rick Van Beselaere, the lawyer representing the company as it restructured under court protection, said Feb. 27 that financing was not yet in place and that would push the reopening date to late March or early April. “We’re hoping this […] Read more
Abattoir cameras need more testing
Saskatchewan continues to test the use of cameras and computers to inspect slaughter plant practices. Mitchell Demyen, director of the provincial agriculture department’s market development and food branch, said the pilot project initiated in November 2004 recently moved to a different plant to test new technology. Demyen said technical issues during the first round of […] Read more
Sask. conservation agrologists laid off
Funding uncertainty has forced the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association to lay off its five field staff effective March 31. President Edgar Hammermeister said the association applied to its two funding sources – the federal and provincial governments – but has not heard if its applications were approved or rejected. “We simply have not heard anything,” […] Read more
Tax revolt now involves half of RMs
It wouldn’t be unusual for delegates to a Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention to focus on education tax. It’s been a perennial issue for about 40 years. But this year’s annual meeting will begin March 7 with more than half of RMs either withholding the education portion of property taxes they have collected or […] Read more
Container users must boost efficiency
Empty containers returning to China represent lost opportunities for western Canadian grain shippers, a conference in Regina heard Feb. 8. David Fung, first vice-chair of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, encouraged the industry to think differently about how grain is shipped. “There is a new situation happening and let’s examine how we can participate more effectively,” […] Read more
Exporters brace for more container traffic growth
Shippers face delays, costs and congestion as ports struggle to deal with increasing world container traffic. Yet those involved in moving commodities and merchandise to ports remain “heavily stove-piped” and refuse to talk to each other, said John Vickerman of TranSystems Corp., a transportation consulting firm in Norfolk, Virginia. Vickerman told a container conference in […] Read more
Cattle co-ops have potential
MOSSBANK, Sask. – Establishing a community-owned cow herd is an opportunity to improve local economies and decrease individual risk. But it also means sharing the profit and giving up decision-making powers. Sandy Russell, a beef economist with Saskatchewan’s agriculture department, told a recent meeting here that there are several communities looking at the concept of […] Read more
Sask. 2005 variety test results
MOOSE JAW, Sask. – A small sunflower variety testing program established in Saskatchewan in 1983 manages to stay afloat on just a few thousand dollars a year. The program, operated by the Saskatchewan Sunflower Committee in co-operation with research sites at Indian Head, Scott, Melfort, Swift Current, Outlook, Saskatoon and Canora, tested six varieties in […] Read more
