Karen Morrison

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – A new career in the greenhouse business means former grain farmers Arnold and Teresa Brewster can finally control the weather. The pair downsized to 120 acres and switched from grain to vegetables last year. They grow tomatoes, English cucumbers and green peppers year-round in their greenhouses near Prince Albert, and rent […] Read more

Using only as much water as is needed in irrigation systems is the goal of research at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, B.C. Research scientist Denise Neilsen said anticipated water restrictions in places like the Okanagan Valley are driving the research. “Water is the most important issue of all and people can’t seem […] Read more

ST.-ISIDORE-DE-BELLEVUE, Sask. – It was starting out as another bad year for crops in northeastern Saskatchewan. Successive dry years, limited spring moisture and winter snow cover this year, combined with a recent invasion of grasshoppers, meant reseeding and spraying on Ben Gaudet’s mixed farm at St.-Isidore-de-Bellevue. But with 25 millimetres of rain last weekend in […] Read more

An Alberta rancher has challenged Saskatchewan to create a multimillion-dollar investment fund for its future as it prepares to mark its 100th year as a province in 2005. The proposed Saskatchewan Centennial Innovative People’s Fund would solicit money from those who grew up and went to school in the province, said Bob Church of Airdrie, […] Read more

An influx of immigrants could seriously undercut political gains made by First Nations, a university researcher told a Saskatoon conference exploring ways to double Saskatchewan’s population. Ken Coates, dean of the college of arts and sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, cited the example of Vancouver, where new immigrants have become a dominant political force. […] Read more

Two former campers will return to an Alberta co-operative camp as counsellors this summer to revisit friends and teach youth about rural life. Mike Morasch of Cayley, Alta., and Amanda Todd of Edmonton will volunteer their time at the Rural Education Development Association co-operative youth programs next month at the Goldeye Centre near Nordegg, Alta. […] Read more

Canada Customs will be taking a closer look at rodents bound for pet stores after a deadly African virus infected prairie dogs in the United States. The pet prairie dogs were infected by Gambian giant pouch rats that were imported from Africa and had the smallpox-like disease, also known as monkey pox. The prairie dogs […] Read more

Neither tomato plant has been watered for 11 days, but the green and leafy plant treated with synthetic abscisic acid shows dryness only in the parched soil. The second plant sitting in a window sill at the National Research Council’s plant biotechnology institute has noticeably wilted. Project researcher Sue Abrams said plants naturally produce the […] Read more

A second farmed deer in Alberta has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. It came from the same white-tailed deer herd at Namao, Alta., where the first case surfaced Nov. 5. The 290 head owned by Ray Heinen that included the two infected animals, and a 100-head herd closely related to the first, were slaughtered […] Read more

A Regina economist says Saskatchewan will have a bright future if it revisits nuclear power, develops energy processing and opens the doors to new immigrants. Graham Parsons laid the groundwork for stimulating discussion about how to increase Saskatchewan’s population in a speech that kicked off a two-day conference called Innovation Saskatchewan: Double the Population. “Saskatchewan […] Read more