Political scientists say the social unrest over public health orders is similar to what’s been seen in the United States
Protests against government restrictions shouldn’t have caught anybody by surprise, says a University of Alberta political scientist. Jared Wesley and his team have watched the parallels between rural Saskatchewan and Alberta and the rural United States for about a decade. He said the underlying dynamics are the same and vaccine mandates have little to do […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
New task force to focus on shipping containers
Initiative that grew out of recent national supply chain summit welcomed by major agricultural commodity groups
The national supply chain summit held in late January was a good first step toward fixing issues within agriculture, particularly when it comes to container shipments, according to several participating organizations. President Greg Cherewyk said Pulse Canada has been calling for a national dialogue on shipping issues since the fall of 2019, and welcomed the […] Read more
Irrigated cucumbers have potential in Sask.
The crop’s management requirements are high because it can go from its peak to an ‘unmarketable mess’ within days
Cucumbers are proving to be a promising crop under irrigation in Saskatchewan. Previous research has shown that growers can produce pickling cucumbers suitable for retail sale. The challenge now is to extend the harvest to better serve the retail market. Doug Waterer, the former vegetable specialist at the University of Saskatchewan and now a consultant, […] Read more
Parliamentary Budget Officer updates carbon tax estimate
Recent report outlines what might happen if the carbon tax exemption on qualifying farm fuel is extended to natural gas and propane
An updated report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows that farmers on the Prairies and in Ontario could pay $184 million annually in carbon tax by 2030. The report released Jan. 20 outlines the cost of extending the exemption on qualifying farm fuel to natural gas and propane, as the private members’ bill C-206 in […] Read more
Funding announced for livestock research
Saskatchewan and Ottawa have announced investment in livestock and forage research projects worth slightly more than $5 million. The money will go toward 28 projects through the Agriculture Development Fund this year. Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, said the federal government supports research that focuses on sustainability. “Saskatchewan cattle producers […] Read more
Bill would exempt grain drying from carbon tax
A private member’s bill to exempt natural gas and propane from the carbon tax if used to dry grain has been reintroduced in the House of Commons. Bill C-234, to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, picks up where C-206 left off in the last Parliament before the federal election. The bill, introduced by […] Read more
Below normal runoff predicted for southern Sask.
A preliminary spring runoff report issued by Water Security Agency today shows spring runoff potential is below normal in most of southern Saskatchewan. Central areas have above normal snowpack and should expect above normal snowmelt. The far north should see near normal conditions. The WSA said there is an area east of Moose Jaw through […] Read more
APAS rep resigns over convoy comments
A representative for the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan has resigned after posting comments on Twitter about the truck convoy that some found offensive. Danny Ottenbreit, who represented the Rural Municipality of Grayson, posted on Jan. 25: “You know who else likes to parade around with trucks and flags? The Taliban and ISIS.” In an […] Read more
Sask. producers want farmers’ advocate office
Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan asks government for program similar to what’s in place in Alberta
Saskatchewan’s general farm organization wants the provincial government to create a farmers’ advocate office. A resolution passed at the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan annual general meeting in January said that an office similar to that in Alberta would assist farmers. Ryan Scragg from the Rural Municipality of Garden River said the topic came up […] Read more
Feds select food waste semi-finalists
Eighteen companies from across Canada have been named semi-finalists in a competition to find new technology to reduce food waste. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the selections under the Novel Technologies Streams of the waste reduction challenge. They include several organizations working in the agricultural space. For example, Carbon Lock Technologies Inc. from Winnipeg […] Read more
