The 35th edition of Canadian Western Agribition, one marked by change, is in the history books. The record will show that it was a success, said general manager Leon Brin. “Of the four shows that I’ve been involved with, this is the one that gave me, personally, the most satisfaction,” he said Nov. 28. “The […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Teen draws what he knows
Shay Keller’s art teacher encouraged him to take a week off school and go to Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. It was the right decision. By mid-week, the 16-year-old Grade 11 student from Rockglen, Sask., had sold enough of his artwork to pay for his booth in the trade show. Some visitors were joking that […] Read more
Beekeeping touted as viable with low capital costs
Receiving a honey extractor for a Christmas present changed Colette Stushnoff’s life. “It was fate,” she said after winning four grand championships and the premier exhibitor award in the Canadian Western Agribition honey show Nov. 23 in Regina. A neighbour gave Stushnoff and her husband, Richard, the extractor and they immediately thought of it as […] Read more
Rail car deal not expected to increase farmers’ costs
The Regina-based Farmer Rail Car Coalition could have control of the federal government’s 12,000 grain cars by the end of this year. Ottawa announced Nov. 24 it had reached an agreement-in-principle with the FRCC to sell the cars for $205 million. That price includes $65 million in lease payments over five years, at which time […] Read more
Bison judge learns to keep his distance
Bill Bintner relies on 25 years of experience and a good pair of eyeglasses to judge bison. He can’t get as close to the animals as judges in other livestock classes, so he’s become good at eyeballing them. He figures he can, from seven metres away, spot a measurement difference of half a centimetre. “I’ve […] Read more
Sask. covers weather damage
The Saskatchewan government will spend $14.7 million to help residents in 84 municipalities cope with severe weather-related damage. The commitment is 27 times more than what the province normally allocates to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program. The three-year average payout in 2002-04 was $550,000. Corrections and public safety minister Peter Prebble said Nov. 17 that […] Read more
Interpreting organic rules difficult
Organic producers who want to move their products into Japan might be surprised at the lack of paperwork involved. The four pages of Japanese Agricultural Standards pale in comparison to the piles of paper involved to meet Canadian or American standards, said Alex Moreno, manager of inspection and training services for the Organic Crop Improvement […] Read more
Saskatchewan bucks trend toward greater urbanization
Saskatchewan’s rural development minister says a new federal profile of the province confirms work done by provincial experts. “What I see is really an affirmation of what ACRE has been saying,” Clay Serby said, referring to the Action Committee on the Rural Economy. It also validates recent work on rural and urban trends by researchers […] Read more
Open border, optimism increase Agribition entries
Canadian Western Agribition in Regina has recorded a 15.8 percent increase in entries over last year. More than 4,300 head are expected to be on the grounds during the Nov. 21-26 show. The strong entries are partly a result of the open U.S. border and industry optimism, officials said. General manager Leon Brin couldn’t measure […] Read more
Tax revolt group looks for government action
The 17 Saskatchewan rural municipalities withholding education tax from local school boards say they will stop their protest if the education mill rate is frozen at 2005 levels and taxes are significantly reduced by 2009. A News release news issued Nov. 13 by the Tax Action Group said the RMs want the education tax on […] Read more
