Karen Morrison

Canada has its first case of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in farmed deer following confirmation of the infection in a white-tailed deer north of Edmonton. George Luterbach of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the animal was one of 290 on the game farm. “This animal was quite advanced in the disease and could […] Read more

Each kernel of grain had to be meticulously placed in a creation that took artist Bob Boyson several hundred hours to complete. Boyson, who died earlier this year, is perhaps best remembered for his oversized “grain paintings,” some three by four feet in size containing seeds several layers deep. Three creations he made with artist […] Read more

Waste piles on farms could be substantially reduced with a little planning, sorting and transporting. Victor Chang of Saskatchewan Environment’s environmental protection branch said there are numerous ways farmers can reduce, reuse and recyle. He cautioned against burning PVCs and plastic products because they release toxic fumes into the air. Instead, he advised finding recycling […] Read more

The Canadian Grain Commission is reminding farmers who are drying damp wheat this fall to take extra care to protect its protein, milling and baking qualities. Ed Lysenko tests grain by baking it into bread for the Canadian Grain Commission’s grain research laboratory. Overheating the wheat while drying could partially cook the protein, ruining the […] Read more

Prairie farmers will need to take advantage of good years to ride out a series of bad ones predicted in a federal climate change report. Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, a report on the effects of climate change on agriculture, documents the temperature increases already seen in Canada. Changes are particularly evident in lows recorded […] Read more

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology will continue to offer an equine studies program even if the current riding academy can no longer afford to deliver it, said Grant Zalinko, head of SIAST’s livestock production program at Regina. Zalinko said drought has hurt many regions and businesses in Saskatchewan, citing the dry Meadow […] Read more

COURTENAY, B.C. – Food production on Vancouver Island has a lot of room to grow, says Scott Crawford of the Island Farmers’ Alliance. Crawford said island farmers produce only 10 percent of the food eaten by the 800,000 residents. The rest is brought in from the mainland and elsewhere. “We can’t feed the world and […] Read more

A silent auction raised $1,000 in seed money for women venturing into alternative crops. Tomita Walker, a herbalist who grows echinacea, sea buckthorn and rhubarb near Red Deer, said the money will help women launch businesses and earn extra farm income. “It’s not going to stop with just the money,” said Walker, who noted that […] Read more

Deteriorating harvest conditions are creating anxiety for Prairie Malt Ltd., currently in the market for 2,000 tonnes of low-protein AC Crystal wheat. Jack Foster, director of barley procurement for the Biggar, Sask., plant, said he needs wheat with less than 13 percent protein levels to make wheat malt. It will be used in a small […] Read more

A company that recycles tires is among agricultural and rural-based companies receiving Achievement for Business Excellence, or ABEX awards, from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. R.T.G. Saskatchewan (Prairie Rubber Corp.) of Assiniboia, which recycles used tires, was recognized in the new venture, job creation, exports and physical environment categories. Red Coat Cattle Feeders of Hazenmore, […] Read more