LUMSDEN, Sask. – To earn shelf space in the Acorn Eco-Boutique, a product has to meet owner Amy Wilker’s specific standards. It should be made of recycled, organic or renewable sources, or be recyclable. It could be locally made, or should at least employ local people in the region where it’s made. It should have […] Read more
Farm Living
Store offers earth friendly products
Parents need to share time with infant and jealous sibling
Q:Ever since we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital, our four-and-a-half-year-old son has been acting up. My husband and I knew that he would have to adjust to the baby but we never expected this. He has regressed. He is incontinent and the other day I caught him feeding himself from the baby’s […] Read more
Soil seldom gets respect it deserves
It’s hard to know if Google hits accurately reflect the priority issues in the world, considering that Lady Gaga generates 209 million results. But when air quality leads to 131 million results and soil quality produces eight million hits, it probably indicates the public doesn’t understand or appreciate the value of soil. “Air quality and […] Read more
Heat decontaminates soil
New environmental remediation techniques were needed to restore land after an abandoned oil well site was found to contain high levels of a long acting residual herbicide in 2006. Cenovus Energy Inc. had found high levels of tebuthiuron during routine testing of a well site set for reclamation on Antelope Creek Ranch near Brooks, Alta. […] Read more
Soil checkups can maintain soil health
GUELPH, Ont. – It is a frustrating dilemma for a provincial government soil management specialist like Adam Hayes. Maintaining a healthy soil base is key to keeping Ontario’s diverse multibillion-dollar agricultural sector thriving as one of the province’s economic bases and the largest agricultural industry in Canada. But how can you judge if soil is […] Read more
Latimer case proves axiom that hard cases make bad law
A few columns ago, I talked about famous Canadian courtroom matters – big trials that garnered attention. The Robert Latimer case evoked strong feelings from people with varying viewpoints. Latimer obtained full parole at the end of November 2010, which brought his name back into the news. The Latimers farmed near Wilkie, Sask., where they […] Read more
Tree tells residents ‘I’m home’
PERCIVAL, Sask. – This is a Christmas story about a tree and a community. And because it’s a Christmas story you know this isn’t just an ordinary tree, and that the story has a happy ending. Millions of people have passed this tree during its nearly 85 years stretching toward the sky. To some, it’s […] Read more
Family farms give beyond themselves
Kathleen Skinner of Listowel, Ont., is the first winner of the inaugural Paul Beingessner award. To qualify for the award, she had to write an essay on the importance of family farms in Canada. This is an excerpt from her winning essay. When my geography teacher posed a question along the lines of why should […] Read more
Family decorates oil rig for Christmas
BLACKFALDS, Alta. – Christmas greetings now glow from the heights of central Alberta’s largest lawn ornament, complete with a shining red star. Thirty-two years have passed since Bob McMurray, founder of Twin Rock Holdings, erected a retired oil derrick next to his home above the Blindman River south of the Blackfalds turnoff. The first derrick […] Read more
Accident spurs call for better farm safety law
LETHBRIDGE – The electrocution of two Edmonton-area farm workers this month has raised demands for improved safety and legislation to protect farm workers. Alberta Municipal Affairs is investigating the accident, which occurred when the workers were moving a grain auger and made contact with a power line. The agriculture industry is not covered by Occupational […] Read more
