Prairie symbols | Art lining Louis Riel Trail depicts story of Metis life
KENASTON, Sask. — She’s made of steel, stands nine feet tall and weighs 850 pounds. Her outstretched hand points to the prairie. She is Cree. The other hand gently touches her son’s head (four feet, 275 lb.) who follows his mother’s learned gaze. He is Metis. Their lifelike hair is crafted from stainless steel that […] Read more
William DeKay
Stories by William DeKay
Luseland farm takes fun seriously
Lots of work, then play | Everyone has a role on the 7,000 acre grain and beef operation
LUSELAND, Sask. — Long hours of cultivating and rolling peas on the family farm provided Dylan Kennedy with time to dream up his latest invention. Last year’s grain storage bag is now a giant water slide. “I got thinking about the things I can do and thought of this,” Dylan said. He remembered how slippery […] Read moreReport on supply management raises ire
Dairy Farmers of Canada takes issue | The report is one-sided and contains flawed information, says national leader
Dairy Farmers of Canada is curd-ling over a report released June 21 by former Liberal MP and trade critic Martha Hall Findlay. She said Canada’s supply management system for dairy products overcharges consumers and interferes with international trade talks. Hall calls for an end to the 40-year-old system of production controls, import tariffs and cost-of-production […] Read more
Melding hardiness to quality grape goal of research
Cream of the crop | Breeding sour, native grapes that survive -45 C temperatures with quality fruit is key to commercial production
A University of Saskatchewan researcher is convinced quality grapes can be grown on the Prairies. Tyler Kaban, who has been breeding grapes for 12 years, said fruit research is challenging, requiring generations of specialization to achieve desired quality. “It is a lifetime of work. I’m confident that it’s the foundation work that can be built […] Read more
Education key to sustain co-ops
Depression era influences | Co-op advocate predicts return of grain pools in a decade or two
At 95 years old, Harold Chapman continues to educate, advocate and adhere to the philosophies and principles that built the co-operative movement in Saskatchewan. In Sharing My Life, Building the Co-operative Movement, a book he recently co-published with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Sask-atchewan, he gives a first person […] Read moreB.C. dairy program focuses on improving milk quality
Certificate provides benefits | Producers must be validated by Jan. 31 to be eligible for bonuses and incentives
Carla Soutar has visited three-quarters of British Columbia’s 526 dairy farms, logging thousands of kilometres on her vehicle in the process. She plans to stop in on the other 150 farms by Sept.1. As producer services co-ordinator for the B.C. Dairy Association, Soutar’s job is training dairy producers how to use the Canadian Quality Milk […] Read moreRemoving the high from hemp
Cannabinoid-free plants would reduce problems for industrial hemp seed exporters
Hemp growers may someday be able to do away with monitoring the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their plants, thanks to a new discovery. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have found the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa plants use to create the cannabinoids. This paves the way for the development of cannabinoid-free industrial hemp. […] Read more
Fish, chicken steal protein podium
Beef, pork lose market share | Consumers see fish and chicken as healthier choices, Alberta study finds
Gordon Cove was in for a surprise when he reviewed the 2012 Canadian Consumer Retail Meat Study. Cove, chief executive officer of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, found that certain types of meat continue to lose ground as the protein of choice. “I guess what surprises me is that trends are still going the […] Read moreProject creates value from hemp and flax byproducts
Farmers who grow flax and hemp could soon benefit from a big increase in value per acre. Thanks in part to new technology that was once essentially deemed waste material, farmers have a new revenue stream. Advanced Foods and Materials Canada is receiving an investment of $500,000 from the federal government to turn byproducts of […] Read more
Monarch butterflies ride the winds northward
Never in Canada’s 145 years have monarch butterflies travelled so far north and west into Alberta. Uncommonly strong easterly winds have blown the insects farther north and west than they can get on their own. “This is a once every 10 years, at best, phenomenon. The large numbers that we saw this year, I don’t […] Read more
