New crop insurance for Saskatchewan vegetable growers will help the industry grow, says the president of the Saskatchewan Vegetable Growers Association. Shawn Hansen is pleased with the 10 producers who signed up for the pilot program, created by the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. for the 2005 growing season. “It more than mitigates the risk,” he […] Read more
Stories by Karen Morrison
Horse lovers find paradise
It was love at first sight for Laura Friesen and the Wunderbar Arabians. In 1969, her husband’s family had moved its horses to a 32-acre spread on the outskirts of Saskatoon from a dairy and grain farm at Hague, Sask. Laura lived in a nearby city suburb and loved animals, so she started helping out […] Read more
Sask. crop insurance offers timothy coverage
Growers of irrigated timothy in Saskatchewan can reduce their risks this crop year through the introduction of a trial crop insurance program. The program deadline is March 31. The pilot project, available to Outlook area farmers, will offer coverage on first and second cut hay bound for export markets in Asia. Shawn Jaques, manager of […] Read more
Farmers explore alternative land uses
Environmental pilot projects will be a good way for rural communities to showcase their stewardship practices and provide evidence why farmers should be compensated for their efforts, says the president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers. David Rolfe detailed the work under way on establishing such projects in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and Prince Edward Island […] Read more
Water pumping project resumes in Sask.
Water is again flowing through underground caverns near Vanscoy, Sask., after the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority granted approval to restart a TransGas project March 16. Nolan Shaheen, the authority’s director of ground water management, said TransGas resumed pumping March 18 after receiving an amended licence to flush out caverns intended for future natural gas storage. It […] Read more
Dealer turns junk into antiques
SALTCOATS, Sask. Ñ Stacked rows of refinished dressers and tables fill the weathered building, allowing visitors just enough room to squeeze into the store. Built around 1905, the building that was once a bank and post office is a fitting home for antiques from desks to washstands to salt and pepper shakers. Dave “Trapper” Liepert, […] Read more
Elk farmers optimistic about co-op ventures
Two new-generation co-operatives are offering a boost to depressed markets for elk in Saskatchewan. Alberta Wapiti Products Co-op plans a share offering in Saskatchewan in April to increase its supply of elk meat for an expanding market, said elk producer Blaine Weber of Lanigan. Speaking at the Saskatchewan Elk Breeders Association annual convention March 11, […] Read more
Sask. looks at pumping limits for gas company
The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority will discuss setting minimum water levels as a safety mechanism when it meets with Grandora-area residents this week about re-activating a TransGas project. “Below that, Trans Gas would have to adjust its pumping rate to ensure it doesn’t draw water below a certain point,” said Nolan Shaheen, director of ground water […] Read more
Grouse feathers sought
Krissy Bush is looking for a few good sage grouses. The PhD student in the University of Alberta’s biology department is hoping to collect tail feathers of sage grouses hunted in Alberta and Saskatchewan before 1996. These specimens from private taxidermy collections will be compared with more recent samples to determine if the bird’s genetic […] Read more
Injured cowboy wants life with horses
KELVINGTON, Sask. Ñ Casey Peterson wheels past images of chuckwagons, horses and cowboys and past numerous exercise machines in his two-storey farm home in east-central Saskatchewan. An elevator, installed in the house after an accident left him a quadriplegic in 2002, takes him to bedrooms above and weights in the basement below. Outside, the 36 […] Read more
