Consumers accustomed to 10 different kinds of lettuce at the supermarket will not settle for just one colour of ketchup, a farm business management conference heard Feb. 6 in Saskatoon. “The consumer is never going to be happy and is looking for more differentiation on the products you’re selling,” said University of Saskatchewan agricultural economics […] Read more
Stories by Karen Morrison
Feds take over gun safety courses
Saskatchewan firearm educators doubt the government can run gun safety courses more cheaply than they can. Effective Feb. 1, the federal government took over administering the classes, previously managed by the Saskatchewan Association of Firearms Educators. Michelle Snyder of the Canadian Firearms Centre in Edmonton said the switch was made as part of a government […] Read more
New audits to examine barns, pigs’ welfare
On-farm audits to examine animal welfare are coming to hog producers as a response to consumer demands, says Catherine Scovil of the Canadian Pork Council. Producers on the Prairies already have a voluntary code of practice created by the pork council, Agriculture Canada, the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council, academics, producer groups and humane societies. It […] Read more
Rural fire victims dispute bills
A Saskatchewan rural municipality will give a $41,000 fire bill a second look, says the RM reeve. Local residents affected by a fire on May 20 met in January to discuss fire bills as high as $11,000 that the RM of Corman Park issued to nine acreage owners. Reeve Ed Hobday said the RM will […] Read more
Historian cracks open census data
The release of the 1906 special western census on Jan. 24 is a victory for historians and descendants of prairie pioneers, says Bill Waiser of the University of Saskatchewan. “It’s wonderful for Saskatchewan people interested in their own histories,” said the historian, who was months away from a legal challenge against Statistics Canada for its […] Read more
Flock’s appetite for weeds pays family’s needs
TOMPKINS, Sask. – The white Maremma dogs herd the visitor’s car out of the snow-covered farmyard and then give chase down the grid road. At a neighbour’s farm, another Maremma raised with sheep from birth must be rescued from a line of ewes being loaded onto a truck en route to feeder barns. Their guarding […] Read more
Farmers beef up management skills
Farmers joined industry and agribusiness experts in Saskatoon last week to learn how to manage their money, expand their business, and even improve their dining etiquette. The comprehensive agribusiness management development program, which was held Jan. 26-Feb. 1, focused on marketing, finance, accounting, leadership and human resources. The lunch session on table manners delivered by […] Read more
Long-lost rodeo star returns home to retire
Coyote is one of Bob Black’s most memorable Christmas gifts. One of the best bucking broncs Bob ever raised, the retired rodeo star returned in December to his birth ranch near Consul, Sask., as a gift from Bob’s son, Dan. Giving was easy, but getting the gelding home required help from a lot of people. […] Read more
Ag-business program in works
An agricultural and agri-business training clearing house could become a virtual reality within a year, says Linda Pipke of the Saskatchewan Council for Community Development. A group that includes SCCD, educational institutions, farmers, commodity groups, financial institutions and aboriginal and Métis representatives is now looking for funding to support the centre. “It would be a […] Read more
Grocers respond to consumer
Grocers sit at the other end of the food chain from farmers but are on the front line when it comes to consumer actions and expectations, says Linda Toby Oswald-Felker of Canada Safeway. “They expect advocacy, they expect us to go to the supplier to make sure it (animal abuse) doesn’t happen,” she told the […] Read more
