“It’s freeing up farmers to expand and progress their industry and their business,” said Anton Canitz, a participant in Canada’s first agriculture hackathon. University of Saskatchewan’s junior chamber of commerce organized the Emerging Agriculture hackathon at the university Nov. 21-23. Canitz and team members Dustin Gamester and Erik Tetland joined with students, producers, business professionals […] Read more
Stories by Robyn Tocker
Assiniboine River basin residents seek voice in flooding discussions
The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative was created to develop an organizational structure that would work co-operatively to address water related issues across the basin. Representatives from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota met in Regina Nov. 12-14 to do just that. Project manager Wanda McFadyen said the inaugural conference was intended set up a board and […] Read more
Gene selection produces bigger birds
Broiler chickens are several times larger than those from the 1950s, and the reason is simple: genetics. Martin Zuidhof of the University of Alberta did a study in 2005, when he was still with Alberta Agriculture, that compared breeds from 1957, 1978 and 2005. He and his team raised these three lines from hatching eggs […] Read more
Health guidelines target horses on show circuit
Close proximity at events Keep an animal that isn’t feeling well at home ‘for the greater good of the horse community,’ says veterinarian
The need for preventive measures became clear to horse owners and veterinarians when 28 horses be-came ill with the equine herpesvirus at a horse show in Utah. Alberta’s horse owners now have a new guide available to do just that. The guide, which was developed by the Equine Industry Biosecurity Outreach Program, focuses on what […] Read more
Cattle producers proud of award
Dave and Sheila Crittall had many words to describe their feelings upon winning the Cattleman of the Year Award at the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup Oct. 31. “Humbled, honoured, floored, aghast, shocked,” said Sheila. “There are many, many, many deserving people in this area. It’s truly an honour to be included among them.” Kelly Sidoryk, a […] Read more
Transparency called vital when bloggers review goods and services
Transparency crosses into many careers, and one of them is blogging. Dianne Jacob, an editor and journalist, spoke about the ethics behind blogging at the Food Bloggers of Canada conference in Vancouver in October. Jacob said writers, especially bloggers, need to let readers know if they have been compensated in any way for posts about […] Read more
New organization connects consumers to farming
A new organization to help connect consumers with food and farming will launch next month. Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan (FFC SK) will represent producers in the livestock, poultry, crop and horticulture sectors. Joe Kleinsasser, interim board chair of FFC SK, said the organization will work with agricultural partners, the Saskatchewan agriculture ministry, chefs, and […] Read more
Collection program gathers up expired vaccine from Sask. farms
CleanFarms and the Canadian Animal Health Institute recently gave Saskatchewan producers the opportunity to dispose of their expired livestock medications. Tracey Firth, CAHI’s programs director, said these collections have also occurred in Quebec, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. “Offering a medications return option to the obsolete pesticide collections enables farmers a one-stop opportunity to […] Read more
Put down the spoon; oatmeal available in a glass near you
Hot or cold smoothie Saskatoon man worked with the development centre for more than a year to perfect the recipe before taking it to market
“Oatmeal” and “smoothie” are two words that don’t usually go together unless it’s in a breakfast list. George Barreras decided otherwise. Almost four years ago, Barreras moved from Colombia to Canada, where he assumed people were familiar with oatmeal drinks. “To my surprise, people didn’t even have that idea that oat can be a drink,” […] Read moreMarkets hinge on BSE upgrade
Insufficient test samples could jeopardize Canada’s ability to shake the stigma of BSE that has hounded the cattle industry since 2003. The country could be listed among those with negligible risk of BSE if no more cases of the brain-wasting cattle disease are found between now and 2016. That could open additional trade opportunities. However, […] Read more
