Tracy Tjaden

Crop analysts trying to root out the cause of unexplained low canola yields in Saskatchewan are on the trail of root maggots. Fifteen years ago, root maggots became a problem in Alberta and Manitoba but were virtually unknown in Saskatchewan. An Agriculture Canada study which surveyed crops over the past two years turned up shocking […] Read more

The future of canaryseed may depend on the crop going bald. The cereal crop is used primarily as birdseed and not for human consumption because the attached hulls are covered by small hairs linked to cancer of the esophagus. Protective gloves are needed to handle the seed. But research at the University of Saskatchewan crop […] Read more

VICTORIA, B.C. – Six months of hard lobbying by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to change the federal government’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency have finally paid off. Health minister David Dingwall, in charge of the agency that approves the sale and use of pesticides, faxed a letter to the federation’s annual meeting last week highlighting […] Read more

Farmers shouldn’t hold their breath anticipating the Liberal government will loosen the purse strings for agriculture in the months leading up to the next federal election. If agriculture minister Ralph Goodale’s message to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting holds true, it’s not going to happen. “This isn’t going to be a give-away goodies […] Read more

VICTORIA, B.C. – Every time Laurent Pellerin turns around, someone new is complaining about the smell coming from his farm. The Quebec hog farmer is getting tired of apologizing to his urban cousins for using environmentally sustaining practices in his livestock operation. The push for a federal government program that’s friendly to the environment and […] Read more

VICTORIA – When the Canadian government hammers out its trade policy before the next round of world trade talks in 1999, it won’t be able to plead ignorance about what farmers want, says the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Delegates representing the industry’s commodity groups, regional interests and provincial farm organizations surprised even themselves by coming […] Read more

VICTORIA, B.C. – Canada’s most powerful farm lobby has strengthened its opposition to the government’s cost recovery scheme. Farmer delegates to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting here last week said they won’t sit idly while bureaucrats who don’t understand the business of farming step up user fees and stiffen regulations. “Government said ‘not […] Read more

People who work in massive hog barns could be endangering their health, say some members of the National Farmers Union, but an agricultural medicine specialist says the fears are unfounded. Kelvington-area farmer Pat Godhe of the NFU also has questions about the quality of meat produced by large-scale hog operations. “The product coming out of […] Read more

A grapefruit a day could keep the mites away, if research at a honeybee laboratory in Weslaco, Texas bears fruit. United States Department of Agriculture scientists there are testing natural products like citrus fruit, cedar trees and creosote bush hoping to discover a compound to fight varroa mites, the honeybee’s most deadly enemy. In tests, […] Read more

The threat of a being stung isn’t enough to scare off thieves and vandals swarming around Saskatchewan bee hive operations looking for loot. Christopher Warriner owns 800 hives in 25 locations around Big River west of Prince Albert, making it almost impossible to keep close tabs on each site. “I won’t know until I’m backing […] Read more