Karen Morrison

Prescription grazing under power lines could provide sheep farmers with another source of income, while at the same time offer utility companies efficient mowers on uneven terrain. John Woodburn of Grimshaw, Alta., took more than 900 sheep to graze a 60-metre wide and 58-kilometre long easement of land along Highway 35 from Manning to the […] Read more

Saskatchewan can produce apples as tasty as those from the Okanagan, with fewer threats from disease and insects, say growers and plant breeders. Forrest Scharf, a plant breeder with the University of Saskatchewan, said there is tremendous potential for apple production in fresh and organic markets. “There has been an incredible interest in apples for […] Read more

BLAINE LAKE, Sask. – Two all-terrain vehicles slowly drag a line of chains across the farm pasture, hoping to flush out a mallard or gadwall duck sitting on its nest. Some days pass without finding a single nest. “It could be better, but we’re happy with every nest we find,” said Pauline Bloom, the Blaine […] Read more

Bolstered by recent rain, many prairie farmers are heading optimistically toward a good crop this season. Rob Park, a Manitoba Agriculture oilseed specialist based at Carman, expects the central region to begin harvesting spring wheat, oats and barley within two weeks and to produce above average crops. “The crops are really doing well so far,” […] Read more

CARROT RIVER, Sask. – Connie Reavie never tires of throwing pots. The Carrot River potter starts with a wet brick of clay loaded onto a spinning circular tabletop in her bright home art studio. Within minutes after transforming the clay into a jug, she will move the dry piece to an adjacent building for painting. […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – The pencil straight rows of leafy green cabbages look like a picture postcard of the vegetable farms in California, but they are actually 2,000 kilometres away. The vegetables at Outlook, Sask., are part of a research project here at the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre examining the effectiveness of three post-harvest storage techniques […] Read more

Leafcutter bees could be put to work in the prairie fruit and vegetable industry if trials on university land in Saskatoon prove successful. Researchers Doug Waterer of the University of Saskatchewan and Wayne Goerzen of the Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Association are exploring alternative crop pollination opportunities for the bees. Waterer, the university’s vegetable crops […] Read more

An Alberta rancher has challenged Saskatchewan to create a multimillion-dollar investment fund for its future as it prepares to mark 100 years as a province in 1905. The proposed Saskatchewan Centennial Innovative People’s Fund would solicit money from those who grew up and went to school here, said Bob Church of Lochend Luing Ranches in […] Read more

A scrapie outbreak that hit Alberta and Saskatchewan sheep flocks this spring underlines the need for a national plan to eradicate the brain wasting disease, says one of the affected producers. Beverly Davis, a cattle and sheep producer from Lashburn, Sask., who was one of 10 producers affected by the outbreak, said she is already […] Read more

Retired livestock brands dating back to 1880, bronze sculptures and early western wear are among items found in the Bert Sheppard Stockmen’s Foundation Library and Archives in Cochrane, Alta. Anna Stevenson, archivist and executive librarian, said it is devoted to western Canadian ranching communities, families, rodeos and paraphernalia. “I do not know of anything like […] Read more