EASTEND, Sask. – The waters of the overflowing Frenchman River are slowly receding this week. The river last week annexed the town of Eastend, in southwestern Saskatchewan. The river flowed across main street, and backed up in low-lying yards near its banks. The golf course and ball diamonds were committed to a watery grave and […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Eyewitness news
In order to provide balanced and true coverage there are standards of reportage, the most important of which is not to interfere with the news. Our front-page photo is an example of the dilemma where reporters can find themselves becoming a part of the news. Cars and trucks were marshalled in single file across a […] Read more
The art of the smithy returns
SASKATOON – The rhythmic rise and fall of the blacksmith’s arm is marked by the ring of hammer meeting metal meeting anvil. While visions like this are part of rural folklore, demand for the talents of these specialized metal workers is once again on the rise. Twenty-nine people from across the Prairies recently attended a […] Read more
Machine will reduce time, cost of testing livesock for metal
SASKATOON – Cattle and sheep farmers who suspect toxic metal levels are killing or making animals sick have traditionally waited several days for test results, paying from $30 to $50 for each element tested. Those who want to make tests in dairy herds to optimize production and quality seldom used the tests because of the […] Read more
McMechan remains defiant
SASKATOON – “Guilty was the only verdict that he (Judge David Coppleman) could arrive at. I knew that from the start,” said Bill Cairns, after his conviction for exporting cereal grain without the proper permit. Cairns and fellow Manitoba farmer Andy McMechan were convicted of charges that they exported grains subject to the control of […] Read more
Beefsteak tomatoes hang out where herd of beef once did
WASKADA, Man. – The heat of the day forces workers into shirt sleeves. One hundred percent humidity causes rain to fall while just outside the plastic, wind chills push the temperature to -50. Roy and Candice Kontzie have summer all year round on one acre of their Manitoba farm. In a bold move to restructure, […] Read more
Cattle destroyed in t.b. outbreak
SASKATOON – Ted McCaffrey can only sit and watch when the last of his 247 cattle are destroyed later this week. The Altamont, Man., area farmer has few good things to say about the process of compensation or the bureaucracy he has faced since his animals tested positive for tuberculosis on Jan. 18. Agriculture Canada […] Read more
A day in the life of CWB protesters
LYLETON, Man. – A protest convoy of grain trucks plugged the tiny U.S./Canada border crossing of Lyleton, Man. last week. When the dust had settled, 39 drivers were arrested and their trucks seized. Fines observed at the scene totaled an estimated $975,000 for various breeches of the Canada Customs Act. The federal agency was unable […] Read more
CWB protesters bank on strength in numbers
MOHALL, N.D. – Loud discussion fills the Mohall Legion hall late on the night of March 11. The din is not due to the slow service in the packed dining room or the natural result of 50 farmers gathering in the same place at once. The discussion here centres on the very reason these farmers […] Read more
Manitoba pea processor seeks cash to get on firm footing
SASKATOON – A Manitoba pulse processor continues to struggle for sound financial footing, despite a backlog of debts. Woodstone Foods, a Portage la Prairie food ingredient company, has seen its share of financial difficulties due mainly to the high costs of research and development. The company, which developed its own technology to produce fibres, starches […] Read more
