Michael Raine

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool has taken the first step in its efforts to gain control of decisions concerning ownership limits and board member appointments. On July 30, the pool’s board of directors agreed to ask delegates at a special fall meeting to approve changes that would allow the company to appoint board members who are not […] Read more

Despite poor rainfall over much of the Prairies this year, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool says it intends to weather this lack of storms. Pool chief executive Mayo Schmidt admitted to reporters and the investment community on July 30 that times are tough, with production expected to be 33 percent lower than the five-year average and 21 […] Read more

BRANDON – Carol and Garry Kaplars’ farming future hung on the prices their cattle brought at auction July 19, 750 kilometres from home. When the bidding started, “our hearts kind of stopped,” said Carol. The Kaplars and son, Garry Jr., with the help of some neighbours, loaded the family’s 247 cow-calf pairs into seven tractor […] Read more

Terry Spence took time out from fencing on his farm near Bonnyville in northeastern Alberta to talk about grasshoppers. “The drought is bad. The grasshoppers, that is worse, a lot worse and it looks bad for next year already.” Normally Spence wouldn’t have the time to put up fence or talk to a reporter. He […] Read more

BIGGAR, Sask. – Sandi Kushner saw the dark cloud coming straight for her house July 5. She took sons Braden and Dylan to the basement of their rural bungalow north of this central Saskatchewan town. Standing on the front deck of his own home 200 metres across the yard, Sandi’s brother-in-law Bruce Kushner, whose feet […] Read more

Two people who have played key roles in agricultural development on the Prairies have been named members of the Order of Canada. Livestock nutrition scientist David Christiansen and farm activist Roy Atkinson received the awards earlier this month. Christensen’s work at the University of Saskatchewan has improved dairy cattle nutrition in Canada and around the […] Read more

Cattle producer and veterinarian Jake Burlet knows that cattle history is important. Breeding, diet and health treatment histories matter in the end product. So in 1998, he and a partner decided to create a method to track animals from birth to death and beyond. They formed a new Edmonton company called Viewtrak Technologies Inc., now […] Read more

A fire at the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization lab on the University of Saskatchewan campus July 12 resulted in burns for two staff members and minor damage to the facility. A scientist and a technician working in a research lab suffered first and second degree burns after a minor explosion occurred. Andy Potter, director of […] Read more

Cloned livestock in Canada are limited mainly to research animals, but techniques are improving and government and industry are making plans for the arrival of clones in commercial agriculture. Canada’s first clones were developed about 15 years ago with work by several universities and an Alberta company. They produced cloned cattle from embryos, without benefit […] Read more

To some people, cloning sounds like a far-fetched idea that belongs in a science fiction novel rather than the farmyard. But recent refinements to a procedure known as nuclear transfer have taken much of the guesswork out of cloning. The success rate of cloning techniques continues to improve and companies that offer cloning services can […] Read more