Michael Raine

WINNIPEG, Man. – A short take-off and an abrupt landing in a clump of trees marked the end of a day’s aerial spraying for a young pilot in Manitoba last week. The 26-year-old Ontario spray pilot received cuts to one hand but was otherwise uninjured after his freshly loaded, fungicide-laden plane crashed upon takeoff near […] Read more

PORTAL, North Dakota – Five days after the July 4 fireworks, American farmers tried some noise, light and heat of their own. “Our politicians aren’t listening. This is our way of making sure they hear us. Our own fireworks,” said Ron Selzler, a Knox, North Dakota, farmer. Selzler and 100 other farmers, their families and […] Read more

Elk and bison producers can increase their newborns’ chances for survival by feeding them bovine colostrum, researchers say. Colostrum, the first milk produced by the mother, contains immunoglobulins, which are resistant to infectious agents to which the mother has been exposed. “We know some producers are using the colostrum product off-label in farmed elk and […] Read more

Define a disaster. Many would say it depends on whether a situation is happening to you or not. For many farmers, this year’s abnormal rainfall constitutes a disaster as cropland goes unseeded and disease and flooding rob the remainder, says Bob Thomas, a farmer and protest organizer from Milestone, Sask. Thomas says farmers in the […] Read more

One of North America’s largest farm equipment shows felt the sting of tough times in the farm economy. Despite the bite into sales, dealers remain optimistic after attending the Western Canada Farm Progress Show. “You can’t expect more from a farm show than the rest of the economy is delivering,” said Willie Gilchuk, of Fab […] Read more

REGINA – The Gophinator, an anhydrous ammonia-based rodent exterminator, met with the critical eye of Regina’s SPCA. An animal protection officer approached Keith and Gary Maze at their new inventions trade show booth during last week’s Western Canada Farm Progress Show here. Gary’s father Keith developed the unit from a traditional farm method of dealing […] Read more

ESTEVAN, Sask. – As the damp morning haze cleared off to a hot and sunny day in this southeastern Saskatchewan city, federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief’s plane landed for the second time in two weeks. He was carrying with him no new money for flooded farmers, but a briefcase full of changes to the Agricultural […] Read more

REGINA – Tracy Gardener worked with a man who was injured in a farm accident and decided to put his inventor’s mind to work creating a product that makes farming safer. “I wanted to do something that might prevent farm amputations and injuries from happening to other folks,” said Gardener. He and his partner Blaine […] Read more

REGINA – Put on those dancing shoes. There will be ample opportunity to use them in the Agribition #building of Regina’s Exhibition Park on June 26. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool is celebrating its 75th birthday this summer and festivities include a day of music, dance and reunion in the place where the pool was born. Billed […] Read more

Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow has issued sharp criticism of how the federal agriculture minister conducted his visit to flooded areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “Not meeting with the duly, lawfully elected representatives of our two provinces is an inexplicable breech of protocol and an insult to Saskatchewan,” said Romanow at a news conference in Saskatoon […] Read more