Q: My girlfriend and I bought a house together last week. The plan is to renovate it when we can find the time over the summer and to move into it later in the fall. Hopefully harvest will be finished earlier than it was last year and we will have time to settle into our […] Read more
Farm Living
Prairie measles outbreak prompted quarantine in 1937
Life was significantly disrupted when family members became sick and a 21-day quarantine period went into effect
The first words of Louise McLean’s diary for 1937 were: “Jan. 1 to 22: Quarantined for measles.” She and her parents and siblings spent the last part of their Christmas holidays in isolation because her younger brother and sister had contracted measles from friends at school. “Stanley is the worst — very thin. Varina seems […] Read more
COVID-19 found at Hutterite colonies
Two Hutterite colonies in southwestern Saskatchewan are dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19. The Saskatchewan Health Authority said that two members of a colony in the Rural Municipality of Maple Creek tested positive last week. Another 14 were confirmed yesterday. Contact tracing is underway in the RM and the possibility of travel to Alberta is […] Read more
Agribition postpones show for this year
Canadian Western Agribition has become the latest casualty of COVID-19 restrictions. The Regina event was to celebrate its 50th show this November but has decided to postpone for a year. The new dates are Nov. 22-27, 2021. President Chris Lees said the difficult decision was made with the health and safety of people in mind. […] Read more
Farmer sausage recalled
Brandt brand mini-smoked farmer sausage is the subject of a recall due to contamination with listeria monocytogenes. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said June 15 that the product was distributed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. It comes in various sizes and has best before dates of July 8, 2020. The recall was triggered by […] Read more
Rural communities feel social impact of COVID
Travel restrictions make it even more difficult to deal with issues such as addiction, domestic violence and mental health
Supply chain disruptions are causing much stress in rural Canada, says a woman who works with rural communities in her role with Ontario’s agriculture ministry. Jacqui Empson Laporte, who also volunteers with Victim Services in Huron County, Ont., where she lives, participated last month in a virtual panel held by the University of Guelph to […] Read more
Rural teacher forced to shift gears
Wendy Weichel learns how to work from home as well as teach her own children after COVID-19 closed schools in Sask.
KENDAL, Sask. — It used to all start at 6 a.m. with a flurry of activity. Wendy Weichel would get her four kids out of bed and launch into busy days filled with a full-time teaching job, farm duties and a smorgasbord of after-school activities from hockey to volleyball to dance. The Grade 2-3 Montmartre […] Read more
4-H shows fundraising spirit during pandemic
Clubs adjust to COVID-19 by going digital to showcase their work and raise money for charities such as food banks
Despite changes to their activities, 4-H members have adjusted fairly well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clubs have started showcasing their work and have undertaken fundraising efforts. Even though everything is digital, they’ve continued to be successful. “Our motto is to learn by doing, and that is what we’re doing,” said Susann Stone, executive director of […] Read more
Alta. local food council wants better branding, food hubs
Alberta’s former local food council has put forward a number of recommendations it says will help bolster the sector. The recommendations were part of the council’s interim report, which was submitted in March 2019. The unreleased document was recently obtained by The Western Producer. Within the report, the council provided seven recommendations. It was mandated […] Read more
Learning about honey can be an enjoyable experience
Back in February, before the pandemic arrived, I invited a small group of friends for an evening of honey tasting. We had eight unique honeys that I collected from local beekeepers, a rancher in Mexico and an imported grocery store honey. Everyone wants the inside track on which is the best honey to buy. The […] Read more
