A Dundurn, Sask., horse breeder believes the SPCA has got it all wrong. Debbie Kelln, a longtime horse breeder and exhibitor, said the association’s animal protection officer visited her horse farm unannounced twice in recent weeks. “They put you in a position where you have to defend yourself,” she said. The officer left a written […] Read more
Stories by Karen Morrison
Pouring rain raises havoc with farmers
Ross Hazen is happy to see the sun shining after heavy rain fell on his farm near High River, Alta., last week. “The ground is so full of water, it can’t take any more,” said Hazen, who added a farm in his area had 60 acres under water on one quarter section. Heavy rain has […] Read more
Employers get info on aboriginal culture
WHISTLER, B.C. – Young aboriginal populations rooted in their own communities represent a largely untapped labour resource for rural Canada, says a British Columbia aboriginal corporate trainer. Bob Joseph, the founder of Indigenous Corporate Training in Port Coquitlam, B.C., which offers cross cultural training to companies, has come up with strategies to help include more […] Read more
Dedicated 4-Her lives on remote farm
LILLOOET, B.C. – For 18-year-old Jim Albietz, it’s a two-hour journey home from here by truck and boat. Albietz boards in Lillooet Monday to Friday for high school, returning to the family’s remote ranch on weekends, where he’s greeted by a plethora of chores with the 170-head cow-calf operation and his 4-H beef project. “I’ve […] Read more
CN train station reincarnated
NORQUAY, Sask. – The Whistle Stop customers dine on roast beef and cream pie in booths lining deep cubbyholes that once housed coal for the Canadian National Railway trains that stopped here. The east-central Saskatchewan restaurant’s specialty of Thai chicken salad is passed through a kitchen window where agents once sold tickets to waiting train […] Read more
Videos train hog barn workers
Hog barn workers can now access training videos on-line on topics such as farrowing, breeding and handling. DNL Farms Ltd. launched the service in May to bring standardized training to barn staff, said Don Lidster, who with wife Nancy spent 20 years producing hogs on their farm near White Fox, Sask., before starting the training […] Read more
Canadian wins horse award
A lifelong love affair with horses led to Patti Carter’s most recent accolade as horsewoman of the year. Carter, raised on the family farm at St. George, Ont., became the first Canadian to receive the American Quarter Horse Association award. Eleven men and 11 women have received the award since its inception in 1995. It […] Read more
Seeding work bogs down in soggy northeastern Sask.
While farmers made progress with seeding last week, some in Saskatchewan are becoming bogged down in this spring’s wet fields. Showers in late May did little to help dry moist soil and further slowed seeding in the region. Ed Tanner, a crop development specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Tisdale, said producers are seeding around potholes, […] Read more
Service centre destroyed
Denis Lafond lost an agricultural chemical warehouse to fire in May but is making sure his farm clients still receive the supplies they need for seeding. Lafond, co-owner of Greenspring Ag Services Ltd. in Debden, Sask., said suppliers in Canwood, Sask., and Shellbrook, Sask., have helped him provide products to farm customers after a fire […] Read more
Greenhouses seek alternatives
The high price of keeping young plants warm is leading market gardeners to explore alternative fuels and practices this year. Keith Beaulieu, a greenhouse and alternative crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, is seeing a lot of innovations in greenhouses. Some operators are shortening the heating season by buying plant plugs rather than starting their own […] Read more
