New product development | Rural Manitoban seeks to increase his return on walleye caught in Lake Winnipeg
GIMLI, Man. — Manitoba fisherman Chris Dolman smelled an opportunity when a shipment of specialty fish bound for Gimli’s Icelandic Festival was confiscated at the port. He decided to try dehydrating the walleye he catches and selling it to a community that loves its hardfiskur. The result was Jerk Fish, which is now available in […] Read moreStories by Karen Morrison
Sask. farm takes holistic approach to raising food
Grassfed, antibiotic free | Mixed farm markets their meat products through the internet
ENDEAVOUR, Sask. — A tiny blur of flesh and boots streaks across a farmyard in eastern Saskatchewan teeming with webbed, clawed and hoofed feet. Thin young turkeys take their first tentative steps outside the barn as white geese scatter into a thicket of trees. Three-year-old Beau returns, now only bare from the chest up, to […] Read more
Institute president keeps a busy schedule
RUSSELL, Man. — When one door closes behind Joan Clement, another one is already ajar. Since retiring from Manitoba Agriculture, where she managed 4-H for the province, she has opened a bed and breakfast in her home, promoted tourism as president of the Russell Chamber of Commerce and served as co-ordinator of a program placing […] Read more
Organic produce pays bills in difficult years
TOGO, Sask. — The cattle graze on a carpet of lush green pasture dotted by pools of water. Nearby, a cluster of trees sitting in a pond likely won’t all leaf out next year due to successive years of standing water in eastern Saskatchewan. Grain and cattle producer Wayne Airriess said the region has been […] Read more
Designer’s tickle trunk full of costumes, ideas
BIRTLE, Man. — Sewing is a means to an end for costume designer Elly Sotas. Her real passion lies in creating, crafting and constructing. “If I had to cut out a pattern, I would lose interest really quickly,” said the owner of Whooo’s That costume and design. From a 1922 hip roof barn loft near […] Read more
Gentle Clydesdales form key part of diverse farm
Ribbons and awards | The summer show circuit is underway for Boulder Bluff Clydesdales
STRATHCLAIR, Man. — Blaine Martin’s father always said it cost the same to feed a good horse as a poor one. “So you might as well feed something that is good,” said Blaine, who with his wife, Trinda, and their daughters, Charity and Britney, raise Boulder Bluff Clydesdales on their farm in western Manitoba. He […] Read moreFind the right tool for the job
HALIFAX — Rural regions looking to preserve a grain elevator as a tourist attraction or refurbish a lakefront have a new tool to help them kick start their projects. The Rural Development Institute at Brandon University has launched the Choice Matrix website to provide access to computer applications, checkboxes and guides that will aid a […] Read more
Seniors should be viewed as valued resources
HALIFAX —Sandra Bathgate used to wonder what more could be done to attract a younger crowd when she participated in fundraising mixers in rural Saskatchewan. Today, she understands that the retired crowd is exactly who community leaders like her should be meeting. Bathgate, a board member with Community Futures Mid Sask, talked about dealing with […] Read more
West makes do with less federal funding
HALIFAX — Community Futures groups in Western Canada would better serve their rural clients by speaking with one voice in a time of diminishing resources, said the group’s national chair Dave Harris. “They will have to come together and find commonalities and build on that and I think they will have much better results,” he […] Read more
Build business with social media
Use Facebook, Twitter | Online tools help consumers understand and trust the business
HALIFAX — People who run companies based in rural locations are urged to make social media a key part of their business strategy. Melissa Schenk, executive producer at MS2 Productions and a CTV weather anchor at London, Ont., said web and mobile technologies from Twitter to Facebook allow for a two-way exchange between organizations, communities […] Read more
