Karen Morrison

Correction: A story entitled “Buhler donates to drought” on page 56 of the Aug. 22 edition should have read that John and Bonnie Buhler have donated $200,000 to the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, the Municipal District of Provost, Alta., and the Agriculture Producers Association of New Brunswick. The chief executive officer of a Winnipeg farm […] Read more

As drought dries up traditional feed sources this year, producers are being forced to look not only for feed alternatives but also winter bedding. Short, scant crops mean the little straw left over after combining will be salvaged to feed animals. John McKinnon of the University of Saskatchewan’s animal sciences department says most calls received […] Read more

The City of Saskatoon is the first municipality to issue tax deductible receipts this year for donations to drought-ravaged producers. Evans Thordarson, vice-president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said his group approached the city because it is close to some of the driest regions. He said having a large, well-known organization such as […] Read more

Setting farmed elk free is illegal and risks spreading disease to wild herds, said Ron Lind of Saskatchewan’s fish and wildlife branch. Feed shortages, dry pastures and diminished markets have raised concerns that some elk producers, unable to feed their animals, will release herds into the wild. “If they do, they’re breaking the law,” Lind […] Read more

Grasshoppers are chowing down on what little crop remains around Menno Waldner’s Langham, Sask., farm. He and his neighbor Richard Mierau have few options, other than early cutting and baling for animals and hoping that something might be left to combine. Both expect yields will be a tenth of normal, maybe six to seven bushels […] Read more

The federal government will release $10 million immediately to help fund water supply projects in Saskatchewan and Alberta’s drought ravaged areas, agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief announced Aug. 9. The funding is part of a four-year, $60-million drought-mitigation commitment made July 12. A portion of the $10 million will be used to fund 2,000 eligible but […] Read more

A University of Saskatchewan professor has received $65,000 to help study how carbon can be stored in the soil through practices such as grazing and conservation tillage. Xulin Guo will use the Canada Foundation for Innovation grant to buy equipment. She hopes her research will lead to developing agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – Imagine dandelions grown in perfect rows, harvested like potatoes and sold as an alternative to coffee. Far from fiction, Wanda Wolf said buyers are calling her Phippen, Sask., marketing company daily for dandelion leaves, roots and seeds. She received inquiries for 10,000 pounds just days before speaking at a field day July […] Read more

Sask Water is fielding more complaints than usual this year from farmers concerned that their neighbours are not sharing water. Don Dill, regional water resource manager for the Saskatchewan crown corporation in North Battleford, Sask., said the situation is especially acute in western and northern regions. “There are many, many desperate people out there,” he […] Read more

Teachers will soon have another option for school field trips now that a proposed swine interpretive centre has been cleared for takeoff. Wayne Vermette, a pork producer from Outlook, Sask., and chair of the Prairie Swine Centre’s development committee, said $100,000 in provincial government funding announced July 15 will allow the centre to proceed. The […] Read more