Canadian farmland values are still on the rise, according to Farm Credit Canada, but the rate at which they are rising is slowing. In its 2019 Famland Values Report, FCC said the average value of farmland across Canada increased by 5.2 percent in 2019. That’s the smallest annual increase in at least a decade. The […] Read more
Farm Living
Be kind to truckers, public urged
The top executive at the Saskatchewan Trucking Association has a message for Saskatchewan residents and business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic: be kind to truckers and help them out if you can. Susan Ewart told The Western Producer that truck drivers are facing extraordinary circumstances as they move products throughout the province. Restaurant closures mean […] Read more
Pandemic fears hit home on Sask. farm
A young man returns to the family ranch after university is cancelled and then tests positive for the COVID-19 virus
Brock Weston is unexpectedly home helping with calving after COVID-19 ended his university semester and then laid him low. The 25-year-old would typically be completing classes at the Wisconsin university where he was set to finish a biology degree and was also playing hockey. Instead, he is on the family farm near Maidstone, Sask., trying […] Read more
Elk producers find way to add value
A farm family in central Alberta adds holistic pet treats to the list of products they produce from their herd of 171 elk
HAYNES, Alta. — Russell and Joanne Gwozdz, along with their daughter, Rachelle, 23, run a herd of 171 elk at their quarter section Golden Willow Ranch in the rolling parklands of central Alberta. The family is entering its 22nd year in an industry that has seen its share of volatility. They’ve grown attached to their […] Read more
Prairie farm kids follow the sugar rush
The prospect of turning trees into candy was too tempting to ignore for a couple of young farmers with their eyes on the prize
I thought Mom’s molasses cake covered in thick brown sugar icing flavoured with imitation maple was about as good as anything I’d ever tasted until an uncle brought us a box of real maple sugar candy. Each piece was in the shape of a leaf, and Mom rationed them out sparingly, carefully cutting along the […] Read more
Outstanding young farmers focus on Holsteins
On the Farm: Producers say the national program provided them with an opportunity to take a fresh look at their operation
SPRUCE VIEW, Alta. — Farming at Benthemmer Holsteins is all about continuous improvement. Every year Roelof and Mary van Benthem make improvements to their dairy at Spruce View in central Alberta to make life better for their cows and ultimately for themselves. Named Alberta’s outstanding young farmers for 2020, they and their four boys — […] Read more
Cooking from pantry solves lack of grocery store access
When we can’t get out to the grocery store, there is always the pantry to fall back on. Take a moment to consider what pantry staples you can have on hand. It really depends upon your family’s preferences in food. Dried products such as pasta, barley, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and quinoa keep for a long […] Read more
Keeping active best way to cope with quarantine loneliness
Q: I work in a small machine shop customizing field equipment for the farms around here and to some extent for farms elsewhere in the province. Six of us, including our owner/manager, run the shop. The other day one of my fellow workers tested positive for the coronavirus. You know what that means. All the […] Read more
Community transfer prevalent in Alta. COVID-19 cases
Another day brought one more death in Alberta from COVID-19. Another resident of the McKenzie Towne Care Centre in Calgary died early today from the virus, bringing the provincial total to nine deaths from the deadly outbreak. Alberta recorded 64 new cases of the virus within the past 24 hours so the province now has […] Read more
Interns get eye-opening experience
Regina couple fulfilled their dream by spending six months on a community-shared agricultural operation
The view on the dusty dirt road to the Ternier’s family farm near Cochin, Sask., overlooking the Murray Lake Bird Sanctuary, takes one’s breath away. The rising sun crests over rolling hills only to dip over the lake in the evenings. Noises from pelicans, chickens, pigs, and cattle fill the air along with the wild […] Read more
