New anthrax cases appear to have levelled off, but don’t count on it. Sandra Stevens of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said herd vaccinations in areas where infections were discovered has likely reduced the number of deaths. “Producers are better informed about the risks and causes and they are managing that risk,” she said. Saskatchewan […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Crop size uncertainty hangs over canola market
LANIGAN, Sask. – Canola acres and yields may be lower than expected due to high variability in the prairie crop, but prices haven’t reflected the potential shortfall. “We’re down $3.50 this morning. It isn’t a busy market right now,” Lawrence Yakielashek, general manager and vice-president of trader and seller Alfred C. Toepfer Canada in Winnipeg, […] Read more
Genetic research may unlock swine industry dollars
Fatter sows producing leaner litters is a match that should enable Canadian farmers to bring home more bacon, say researchers. Genetic testing has recently created the opportunity to reliably produce leaner pigs in response to consumer demand. When a boar’s DNA contains the right insulin-like growth factor 2 gene, it passes on an important trait […] Read more
Elevator fire hits bitter blow
FOAM LAKE, Sask. – Lightning may not strike twice, but fire can. The rural community of Foam Lake is reeling after being hit by a second major fire in as many months. The Aug. 1 fire broke out in a local elevator’s annex and a farmer-owned grain storage facility housed in the former Saskatchewan Wheat […] Read more
More anthrax cases reported
Anthrax continues to spread on the Prairies with 136 new deaths reported from Aug. 1-4. The record breaking level of infection has claimed 633 animals so far, including a death on a Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration pasture near Ituna, Sask., last week. Last week, the outbreak spread to two more rural municipalities in Manitoba and […] Read more
Anthrax keeps popping up
Anthrax appeared in both wet and dry regions of the Prairies last week. In Saskatchewan as of July 31, 409 animals had died in 25 rural municipalities, resulting in 86 farms or pastures being cited as containing the bacteria. In Manitoba, 11 sites were found to have cases of anthrax, with 88 animal deaths in […] Read more
Old faces back in spotlight as CWB fight resumes
“It’s yours and mine; so don’t tear the old wheat board down; there’s not another like it in this old world round,” the Carlton Quack Grass Band sang on July 27 in a Saskatoon park as denim-clad farmers clapped in rhythm to a washtub bass. The folksy scene contrasted with the closed-door, RCMP-guarded meeting across […] Read more
More packer competition improves cull cow prices
LANIGAN, Sask. – Cull cows returns are back. Prices for D1 and D2 cows and slaughter bulls continue an upward trend and packer demand for these animals appears to be increasing. Prices for D1 and D2 cows recently touched 50 cents per pound after bringing little more than 25 cents since the discovery of BSE […] Read more
Gate opener designed to save time, energy
REGINA – Don Lenz got tired of getting off, and on, and off, and on his tractor each time he took a bale into the corrals of his Vibank, Sask., farm. “That’s a lot of in and out of the cab, especially when there’s bad weather or curious calves just waiting to make a run […] Read more
Remote-control machine modifies dance with auger
REGINA – Swing augers, even those with hydraulically driven wheels, don’t run out to meet the truck’s trailer while the driver is still in the cab. There is often a little dance between the trailer and auger, especially the first time at the grain bins, until the auger’s hopper is in just the right spot. […] Read more
