Karen Briere

Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister says members of a new advisory group should benefit as much from working together as he does from the advice they offer him. Mark Wartman said the multitude of farm voices in the province means organizations don’t always hear what others are saying. “Hopefully by hearing each other, more of the information […] Read more

CEYLON, Sask. – It took longer than expected, but Border Line Feeders is open for business and full of cattle. And during its Feb. 18 grand opening, proponents of at least three other Saskatchewan feedlots will come for a tour to see how a group of local cattle producers parlayed an idea into reality. Border […] Read more

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The image of pulses in North America could use a little boost. Bob Tyler, associate dean of agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan, said only one word often comes to people’s minds when they think about pulses: gas. Many people don’t want to eat beans in the afternoon if they’re going […] Read more

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The president of the Saskatchewan Sunflower Committee says more farmers should consider incorporating the crop into their rotations. It’s one of the only crops prairie farmers grow that is native to North America, said Jim Thorson, and that means fewer problems with disease and insects. Sunflowers grow in the wild from […] Read more

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Monty Bergquist built his business on the bird seed market, but the sunflower processor from Langham, Sask., told growers at a recent meeting in Moose Jaw that they should look at other uses for their crop, including biodiesel. About 18 months ago he took 1,500 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds […] Read more

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

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Grasshoppers aren’t always the pests farmers might think. Some are even considered beneficial because they prefer to eat weeds. Of about 85 grasshopper species that appear in Saskatchewan, only a handful cause serious problems, provincial pest specialist Scott Hartley told a recent pulse growers meeting here. About 10 of the species […] Read more

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Farmers in southwestern Saskatchewan should schedule seeding times properly or risk losing as much as one-fifth of their crop. Yantai Gan, a researcher at the Agriculture Canada research centre in Swift Current, Sask., told growers at a meeting here that they face yield losses of up to 20 percent if they […] Read more

A Regina judge has approved a plan to restructure Moose Jaw’s Worldwide Pork, paving the way for the slaughter and processing facility to re-open in early March. However, the plan hinges on raising about $3 million. Glen Lekach, a lawyer for Worldwide Pork, said raising that money through a combination of equity investment and traditional […] Read more

Saskatchewan agriculture minister Mark Wartman was one of few ministers to retain their portfolios following a significant cabinet shuffle announced by Saskatchewan premier Lorne Calvert. Wartman took on the portfolio almost two years ago, taking over from Clay Serby of Yorkton. Serby’s duties as minister of rural development were expanded and his department renamed. It […] Read more