The Western Producer takes a weekly look at some of the stories that made headlines in issues of the paper from 75, 50, 25 and 10 years ago.
75 years ago: Sept. 19, 1940
Canadian Co-operative Implements Ltd. was officially incorporated and the first general meeting of provisional shareholders held. The $1 million co-op was des-cribed as one of the largest consumer co-operative ventures in North America.
The federal government an-nounced that carcass grading of hogs would replace live grading as of Sept. 30. Live grading had been in place since 1922. Agriculture minister James Gardiner said the new grading system would ensure more hogs of suitable quality for export to the United Kingdom.
50 years ago: Sept. 16, 1965
The grain trade was becoming concerned over the slow pace of grain shipments through the Lakehead. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool president Charles Gibbings said some in the trade were estimating that the industry was already 30 million bushels behind the targets set to achieve 600 milion bu. of exports for 1965-66.
The federal government proposed providing tax relief for farmers who maintained wetland as a way to help them deal with crop damage caused by migrating waterfowl. However, the Farmers Union of Alberta said what was really needed was full and automatic compensation for crop damage.
25 years ago: Sept. 20, 1990
A New Zealand farm leader who was brought to Canada six months earlier to sell farmers on the benefits of the new GST returned to slam the government on its handling of the new tax. Brian Chamberlin, whose government had earlier brought in a similar goods and services tax, said the Canadian government should have also cut income tax rates and not introduced exemptions to the seven percent tax. “I think it’s been screwed up in Canada,” Chamberlin said.
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Keystone Agriculture Producers president Earl Geddes said Manitoba farmers were talking about taking radical action such as highway blockades or strikes if the government didn’t start helping them deal with low grain prices. Meanwhile, Manitoba Farm Debt Review Board general manager Barry Smith said creditors were signaling that they wouldn’t be rushing to foreclose on farmers facing cash flow problems.
10 years ago: Sept. 15, 2005
Canadian bison are tough customers, but they couldn’t storm their way past American government bureaucracy. A load of bison destined for a U.S. feedlot were turned back at a Montana border crossing because it lacked facilities to unload and inspect the animals, even though previous shipments had been allowed through. Instead, the 88 bison were forced to return to northwestern Alberta after 54 hours on the truck. Owner Ross Adams of Grande Prairie said he was shocked by the bureaucratic nightmare.
Clubroot was alarming canola growers in Alberta as it spread to 40 fields in 2005 from 10 in 2003 from St. Albert to Fort Saskatchewan. “People in the area are starting to panic; some are hiding the fact they have it,” said Dan Orchard of Sturgeon Valley Fertilizer in St. Albert.
