Rodney Desnomie

Are American turkey egg numbers all they are cracked up to be? According to a United States Department of Agriculture news release, more than 23 percent of all American turkey eggs laid in 1997 did not hatch. “Last year, more than 430 million turkey eggs were laid …, but nearly 100 million failed to hatch,” […] Read more

Some cows in Alberta are adding a new grazing crop to their dinner menus. It is Baldridge Amaizing Graze, or grazing corn and, unlike its cousin the corn plant, it produces a small number of cobs, has a leafier body and a higher concentration of sugar in the stalk. The warm season grass also boasts […] Read more

Some American farmers and agricultural retailers are victims of illegal drug traffickers. Drug dealers are stealing anhydrous ammonia from retailers and producers and using it to make methamphetamine, also known as poor man’s cocaine. Crooks, who process the anhydrous ammonia, use it as a reactor with meth’s main ingredients like ephedrine and lithium to produce […] Read more

Saskatoon has a new cattle show. Cattle Congress 1999 was announced Nov. 20 in Saskatoon by Prairieland Exhibition. It will combine the Prairieland Bull Congress and Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association annual meeting. The event is intended to provide visitors with a trade show, animal exhibits, information programs and a chance to talk with Western Canadian […] Read more

“The first thing I remember when I came to, was the tractor was idling, the belts were running and the flesh was being taken off my arm.” Tony Potoreyko shared that grisly memory with an audience at the Farming with Technology conference in Saskatoon Nov. 16. The farmer from Porcupine Plain, Sask., almost lost his […] Read more

Most farm kids learn farm jobs by watching their parents and the more they see, the more they want to become involved. But sometimes that eagerness places them in danger. That’s why Glen Blahey of Manitoba Labor said it is crucial for parents to provide proper supervision. “Typically, children are very interested and intrigued about […] Read more

“Hello, farm stress line, how can I help you?” For many farmers, those words can make the difference between life and death. But in Alberta, help is not as readily available. At least, not yet. Farming is one of Canada’s most stressful and dangerous jobs as farmers deal with 18-hour work days, financial worries, unpredictable […] Read more

Researchers in Saskatoon are developing a biological herbicide to battle Canada thistle that consists of flax oil, water and selected disease-causing organisms. Thomas Wolf, a research scientist at Agriculture Canada, and his four-member team have been working on weed control at the centre since 1995 and recently began experimenting with flax oil. They are targeting […] Read more

While farm living may increase chances of living longer, it may also introduce people to rare cancers. At a rural health and safety conference held in Saskatoon last week, Aaron Blair of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, talked about cancer risks in rural and agricultural populations and how farmers are more likely to […] Read more

In Sweden, farmers get what they pay for when it comes to health care. That was the message Sverker Hoglund, medical director for the Swedish Farmers’ Safety and Preventive Health Association, told an audience at a rural health and safety conference in Saskatoon Oct. 19. Hoglund was educating listeners about the “Swedish model”, a health-care […] Read more