Rachel and Chris Buhler will use the $50,000 grand prize from the BioVenture Business Plan Challenge to help launch their new aquaponics enterprise at Osler, Sask. The brother-sister team beat four other competitors in the first-ever such competition offered by the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Agriculture. “It would really help us develop our business […] Read more
Stories by Karen Morrison
Lack of dietary fibre causes pain, obesity
Increasing fibre in children’s diets could lessen the incidence of abdominal pain and help curb overeating, says nutritionist Wendy Dahl. Speaking at the Saskatchewan In Demand trade show in Saskatoon Sept. 15, Dahl said most children are not getting the recommended amount of fibre in their daily diets. “That leads to constipation and unhealthy guts,” […] Read more
Elk case heads to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Canada will decide whether game farmers can sue the Saskatchewan government for negligence in the wake of outbreaks of chronic wasting disease in the 1990s. Maidstone farmer Roger Holland said changes in a government CWD surveillance program forced him and others to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars because they were […] Read more
Vet wants to simplify food safety
Creating an inventory of existing on-farm food safety procedures to share with consumers, producers and industry is the goal of researcher Sarah Parker. The veterinarian at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is the college’s research chair of on-farm food safety, an initiative funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture. “There is no such thing as no risk.That’s […] Read more
Community wages war on blueweed
PINCHER CREEK, Alta. – Armed with rubber gloves and garbage bags, they come down to the creek by the carload in search of blueweed. The noxious, non-native plant first appeared after a major flood in 1995 and now grows alongside the 70 kilometre Pincher Creek in the southwestern corner of Alberta. A campaign to fight […] Read more
Fall seeding underway
Garth Butcher was changing settings on his combine for his late summer harvest near Birtle, Man., Aug. 30, but he hoped to switch to a seeder by week’s end to plant winter wheat. He said the early harvest in Manitoba would allow him to get his fall seeding underway before moisture reserves shrink with the […] Read more
100-year-old plots have story to tell
LETHBRIDGE -Century-old research plots are giving scientists valuable information about how farming has affected soil on the once virgin prairies. Elwin Smith, research scientist at the Agriculture Canada Lethbridge research centre, said data from such ongoing studies is needed to analyze the past and provide information for the future. “Changes in the soil are generally […] Read more
Entrepreneurs explore new angles for ag profit
LUMSDEN, Sask. – Three young Saskatchewan entrepreneurs are hoping their new businesses will bear fruit in the coming years. Joel Campbell is propagating exotic fruit varieties like goji berries on his small farm at Lumsden, while Rachel Buhler and her brother Chris plan to combine tilapia fish farming with strawberry and vegetable production at Osler. […] Read more
Young farmers urge others to speak up
CROSSFIELD, Alta. – Youths must become part of the decision-making process for agriculture or they risk losing a stake in their future. Jill Hurt, with the Alberta chapter of Canadian Young Farmers Forum (CYFF), said politicians need to listen to young people when creating the next generation of farm programs. “As youth will be the […] Read more
Early harvest efforts stall
Fall came early to parts of the Prairies this month, with cool, wet weather slowing harvest progress. Saskatchewan’s harvest started early but now sits where it normally does at this time of year. Parts of Alberta were delayed by a wet spring and weather caused more delays to the growing season. Rain showers were sprinkling […] Read more
