The metaphor was too irresistible, even for a government report. “Things were sweet for honey producers in 2006,” said a Statistics Canada honey report. Canadian beekeepers produced about 95 million pounds of honey in 2006. That was the second best production year ever, missing the production record by only seven million pounds, said the report. […] Read more
Stories by Michael Bell
China recognizes co-ops as legal business model
Chinese farmers now have a legal right to form economic co-operatives thanks to a recently passed law. “It gives a new path for farmers,” said Men Wei, a Chinese government legal analyst. The legislation, passed into law in November, allows China’s 300 million farmers to form co-ops that can be registered as legal entities with […] Read more
Feed research funded
For the millions of cows, pigs and chickens raised in Saskatchewan, you expect there would be little left to discover about their feed. But you’d be wrong. “We actually know very little about how processing affects the digestibility and availability of nutrients from crops for farm animals,” said professor Bernard Laarveld of the University of […] Read more
Vet decline may indicate less demand, not supply
A popular western notion contends that there is a shortage of veterinarians interested in food animal practice. Is it true? The answer might surprise many people, as it did Murray Jelinski, Alberta beef chair at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Practising veterinarians reported that at the time of graduation, […] Read more
Pea fibre controls barn odours
Candice Kontzie is giddy about Giddy-Up. The Portage la Prairie, Man., horse breeder is the exclusive marketing agent of the product, an absorbent all-natural pea fibre. Kontzie said anyone who has worked in a horse barn will understand why she’s excited about Giddy-Up. “If you’ve ever been around a mare in heat, her urine is […] Read more
Group urges ‘more humane’ pork line
An animal welfare group wants Maple Leaf Foods to offer a different kind of pork product. “We want them to come out with a (product) line that is more humane and gives consumers more of a choice,” said John Youngman, director of the Canadian Coalition of Farm Animals. When gestating, a sow is often kept […] Read more
Rural future looks bright, says expert
At times, Digvir Jayas’s vision for the future of prairie agriculture seems quixotic. He talks of people moving from cities to towns as high-paying jobs revitalize rural economies. Small niche farms may produce designer flax, straw and hemp, their fibres made into bio-composites and used in aerospace and manufacturing industries. High-starch winter wheat may be […] Read more
Get horses ready for winter
When temperatures dip, parkas are pulled out of storage and drivers switch to winter tires. Farmers and ranchers need winter preparation as much for their horses as themselves. Horses are well adapted to the prairie climate, says professor Sue Ashburner of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. “At this stage of the game, when the […] Read more
Maple Leaf pulls tampered products
Maple Leaf Foods voluntarily recalled five ham products last week after syringe casings were found at a meat processing plant in Kitchener, Ont. “The recall was initiated based on a syringe casing found visibly embedded in a ham found as part of routine visual product inspection,” said a corporate News release news. Maple Leaf said […] Read more
Sask. feedlot proponents continue investment drive
They’ve got the people, the place and the plan. Now all they need is $2 million. “The time is right to get this going,” said Don Declercq, treasurer of the Pine Cree Cattle Co. Declercq said the group will go ahead with its feedlot project in the Shaunavon area of southwestern Saskatchewan as soon as […] Read more
