For more than a decade, Rodney Checkowski has believed that his cattle get sick after they are tested for tuberculosis. Despite that, a Manitoba judge ruled April 16 that Checkowski doesn’t have the right to refuse tuberculosis testing on his farm north of Rossburn. Judge John Combs found Checkowski guilty of refusing to present his […] Read more
Farm Living
Producer guilty for refusing TB test
Planning helps avoid farm accidents
Sheldon Wiebe didn’t see the accident that turned him into a farm safety crusader. But that small mercy wasn’t shared by one of his farm workers, who witnessed his own seven-year-old daughter’s arm getting caught and crushed in a potato conveyer belt. “He had to stand right there beside her. It was traumatic,” said Wiebe, […] Read more
Farming in the name of love
HARDISTY, Alta. – It’s been almost 10 years, but Barry and Lana Love are still known as the couple that headed the group opposed to Taiwan Sugar’s massive hog operation in their central Alberta community. The couple’s four-year involvement in the local group opposed to the 7,200-sow farrow-to-finish operation still influences their lives. In 2000, […] Read more
Think carefully before hosting party for underage guests
In Canada, there have been a number of cases on host liability. I’m not sure the law is settled in this area, which leaves you with nagging doubts if you’re hosting this party. A 1986 B.C. case dismissed all liability against the parents of a grad who hosted a party. One of the grads left […] Read more
Open the windows and let the sun shine in
The sunshine and fresh air in spring renew my energy. The computer room, tucked in under our stairs with a screened door to the deck, is a great place to write the column because the windows let in much light. But I couldn’t enjoy the sunshine until I cleaned the window. The whole house needs […] Read more
Warding off Alzheimer’s
Q: We are worried about our mother. She is 67 years old, living at home alone and seems to be forgetting things more than usual. It’s not yet serious but we are frightened that she is showing the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Can we do anything about it? A: A little memory loss in […] Read more
Sask. mustard plant gets funding from Ottawa
The federal government is loaning almost $1 million to a mustard processing plant in southern Saskatchewan. The money, from two separate government departments, will be used to expand the processing capacity of Mustard Capital Inc. using a new and unique milling technology. Last week in Vanguard, Sask., MP David Anderson announced funding of $655,000 from […] Read more
Price not sole factor in beating the competition
If misery loves company, manufacturers and export-dependent Canadian farmers have lots to commiserate about because both have been hammered by the high loonie. That’s certainly true at Standen’s Ltd. The maker of leaf springs, trailer axles and tillage equipment not only has to compete head on with Chinese rivals in the tough steel fabrication business, […] Read more
Expert prescribes national rural health plan
Shortcomings in rural health services can only be solved with a rural health strategy that all levels of government embrace, say rural health experts. Dr. Roger Strasser, dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay and former director of the largest rural medicine school in Australia, said it will require federal leadership, […] Read more
Give students your time: educator
Every student represents a success story waiting to be told, a B.C. educator told a national congress on rural education in Saskatoon. Tom Hierck, assistant superintendent of the Sunshine Coast school district in Gibsons, B.C., said he believes in building positive relationships with children. “If we can continue to focus on the relationship end of […] Read more
