TURTLE LAKE, Sask. – Look up, look way up. Higher than average snow accumulations are putting farm buildings at risk this winter. High snowfalls and sustained cold are blamed for the collapse of a 17-year-old quonset shed on a farm in northwestern Saskatchewan recently. “We thought other farmers should know that their sheds might be […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Plant partner sought with no attachments
Wanted: Oilseed variety open to multiple genetic changes, preferably no bad outcrossing habits, must thrive in hot, dry weather or with wet feet, requires minimum of attention and enjoys open competition with others. This ad has been placed metaphorically in every plant science journal, university and government agricultural research publication. The search for a transgenic […] Read more
Corn silage works for Saskatchewan rancher
Corn silage has a new northern home near Saskatoon. Corn silage is not normally thought of as a forage crop for cattle producers north of 50 degrees latitude. But 50 kilometres north of 52 degrees, near Broderick, Sask., the Fuglerud Ranch is enjoying success with ensiled corn this winter. Dennis Fuglerud wanted to expand his […] Read more
Marketing key to honey success
YORKTON, Sask. – It’s not the honey that has made Wink Howland’s farm succeed. It’s the marketing. Bulk honey prices are hovering around 75 cents per pound, about 40 cents less than the cost of production. Yet Howland’s Honey of Yorkton manages to make a profit and is expanding. “We avoid selling into the commercial […] Read more
Feed mistake results in quarantine
A feed mix-up at a Saskatoon rendering plant and feed mill put about 8,000 cattle and 250 deer under quarantine in Saskatchewan. Human error led to a shipment of bovine meat and bone meal from Saskatoon Processing being sent to a local feed company instead of the feather meal intended for placement into cattle rations. […] Read more
John Deere buys Conservapak brand
Conservapak of Indian Head, Sask., is going green. While the seeding tool technology invented by owner Jim Halford has, for more than 20 years, had a reputation of minimizing impact on the soil, this green is spelled Deere. “It was a good fit for our product. (John Deere) began talking to us in earnest after […] Read more
Pigs led astray for science
Pigs that smoke and drink may save lives. Lynn Weber, a cardiovascular toxicologist with the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, thinks compounds in tobacco smoke and red wine may unlock the secrets to good cardiovascular health. Weber and graduate student Ahmed Al-Dissi are examining the relationship between tobacco smoke and a protein […] Read more
Plants, heal thyselves
A modern plant breeding technique may provide new crop traits while avoiding some of the pitfalls presented by other new breeding technologies. The rapid trait development system, or RTDS, is a targeted form of mutagenesis and is new to agricultural breeding. It avoids the market stumbling issue of transgenics, which inserts a foreign gene into […] Read more
Sask. ag researchers benefit from grants
Money is making the research rounds in Saskatchewan, after $41 million was allocated in the agricultural science field. Federal and provincial politicians spread around $28 million for research and infrastructure for agricultural product development. The money had previously been set aside but not allocated. Split 60-40 between the federal and provincial governments, the money comes […] Read more
Rural goes high speed
Wired about being connected? Dial-up got you down? High speed internet service options in rural areas are expanding rapidly. The new options are welcome as the growing size of internet files overwhelm the capabilities of the original dial-up service. Gone are the days of dialing up to a website and having it load quickly enough […] Read more
