The Senate transport committee has reported Bill C-49 with amendments, including several related to grain movement. The bill now goes to the Senate for third reading, where further amendments could be made before it moves back to the House of Commons. Among the amendments of interest to grain shippers is one to give the Canadian […] Read more
Farm Living — page 274
U.S. Senate leader pushes to legalize hemp
If a powerful politician gets his way, hemp may soon become a normal agricultural crop in the United States. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, said yesterday that he wants hemp to become an “agricultural commodity.” Those are not just words. McConnell is working on legislation to make it happen. “I will […] Read more
VIDEO: Barn burner
What goes up....
It was a resilient old barn that withstood the brutal lashings of prairie weather for decades. It was erected by John and Wilma Belcher north of Bield, Manitoba, along the south boundary of the Duck Mountain provincial park, and was the centre of the farm’s livestock operations. The first half of the barn was built […] Read more
VIDEO: Fire destroys shop at Osler dairy farm
A fire in a machine shop at a dairy farm north of Osler, Sask., earlier this week is estimated to have caused $1.8 million in damage. Firefighters from nearby towns responded to the blaze in Mark Wiebe’s shop about 9 p.m. Monday March 19th. Fire departments from Warman, Osler, Martensville and Dalmeny fought the blaze […] Read more
40,000-acre farm goes organic
WALDRON, Sask. — There are 25 grain bins in Travis Heide’s farmyard, including six massive ones with a capacity of 70,000 bushels each. In total, the bins can store around 550,000 bu. of grain. That’s enough for 10,000 acres of spring wheat, assuming an average yield of 55 bu. per acre. For most prairie farmers, […] Read more
Orphan wells: Alberta’s $47 billion problem
As energy sector companies fail, landowners wonder who’s on the hook for reclamation costs of wells and pipelines
TABER, Alta. — As farmers drove to the March 8 Action Surface Rights meeting, the news had just broken that Calgary-based Sequoia Resources Corp. had ceased operations. Its demise, if it occurs, would add at least another 2,300 oil and gas wells and possibly as many as 4,000 to the list of energy infrastructure sites […] Read more
Family giddy-ups to fast-paced sport
KENDAL, Sask. — For some, the sport called cowboy mounted shooting is about the rush of competition, a passion for horses and the challenge. For others, there’s the romance of experiencing the culture of the wild west in the 21st century. For some, like the Quam family of Kendal, Sask., the sport has it all. […] Read more
‘Paid hunting’ fee proposed to access land
Alta. ranchers look for solutions as tension builds between those who lease public land and those who want to use it
BROOKS, Alta. — An email sent to Fort Macleod, Alta., area rancher Bill Newton last fall was initially polite. A prospective hunter requested access to grazing land that Newton leases, specifying when and where he wanted to hunt. Newton sent a polite reply, refusing access due to excessively dry conditions and the heightened risk of […] Read more
It’s all about the eggs when following Easter traditions
Easter and hard-boiled, coloured eggs are a tradition in many homes. Making the perfect hard-cooked egg, which is tender with a bright yellow yolk, is easy with the correct cooking procedure. Making the perfect hard-boiled egg starts with older eggs because fresh eggs are harder to peel. Begin by placing the eggs in a single […] Read more
Lies spread faster online than the truth: study
MIT research may explain why it can be hard to change people’s minds on the safety of GM food and pesticides
As it turns out, there’s a reason why some people believe that vaccines cause autism, exposure to glyphosate causes Alzheimer’s disease and genetically modified food causes allergies. The reason is that lies spread faster than truth, especially on social media. In a paper published March 8 in the journal Science, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute […] Read more
