Newspaper marks 100 years of providing information to help improve families’ health, nutrition and financial stability
For prairie farmers, unstable and unfair grain marketing conditions had a direct effect on the health, nutrition, financial and emotional stability of their families.
During the 1920s, marketing co-operatives were formed, hoping farmers would finally receive fair grading and the full market value for their grain and produce. To encourage the creation of these co-operatives in Saskatchewan, The Progressive weekly newspaper was established in August 1923. In 1924, the name was changed to The Western Producer.
In the Sept. 27, 1923, issue of The Progressive, an article encouraged women to participate in a survey of rural homes to assess the standard of living in rural areas. Successive articles revealed that many rural homes lacked a reliable and easily accessible source of clean water. Indoor running water was rare, and all sewage and wastewater had to be carried out by hand in a pail. Many homes were small, cold and sparsely furnished.
Most grain and animal products produced were sold, resulting in a lack of food for rural families. Many children were undernourished because of a lack of milk and vegetables.
There was a lack of schools, qualified teachers and reading materials. In 1922, only five percent of children reached Grade 8.
In 1923, there were few telephones and radios in rural areas. The distance between farms, especially during the winter and muddy seasons, created feelings of isolation and a lack of a sense of community for many farm families. Rural health care was limited and if available it was expensive. In addition to these limitations, many of the laws discriminated against women, children, widows and orphans.
From the second issue of The Progressive, there was a section that focused on rural women and their families. Violet McNaughton, a farmer and agrarian feminist, became the first women’s editor of The Western Producer in 1925, a position she held for 25 years.
Under her leadership, the lobbying efforts of the Women’s Grain Grower’s Association, the Saskatchewan Grain Growers’ Association, the Homemakers Clubs, and the Associated Country Women of the World were reported.
The newspaper focused on broad issues such as the availability of education, poor quality of teacher training, the costs and lack of health care, immigration, poor postal service and laws that affected women and children.
Communicating the issues, progress and successes to rural women and men was vital in encouraging women to work for social change in their rural communities as well as provincially.
To improve the farm’s finances, families were encouraged to become self-supporting entities rather than relying on one or two crops and buying high-priced food items. The goal was to raise livestock and to plant large orchards and gardens to supply meat, milk, eggs and produce that could feed the family for the entire year, with extra that could be marketed for cash income.
To assist families in attaining self-sufficiency, information, education and support were needed from many areas.
The Western Producer has always played a key role by providing articles that gave specific “how to” instructions, the latest research and success stories from other farms.
Through the decades, the weekly newspaper provided reading material for isolated farm families. International, national and provincial news items provided topics for discussion and concern. Jokes, comic strips and humorous stories provided lighter reading.
Regular features for teens and children included crossword puzzles, games, quizzes and contests. Young writers were encouraged to submit their stories and poems for printing in the paper. Novels and short stories were printed in weekly segments, providing entertainment for various ages in the family.
Solutions for clothing a young growing family were provided through a mail order sewing pattern service. Simple construction techniques were described in articles to help reduce construction time and materials used. Knitting, crochet and other craft patterns could also be ordered.
Emmie Oddie, a farmer, home economist and Women’s Institute member, began to write a food and information column for The Western Producer in 1948.
Her popular column, called I’d like to know, continued for 47 years. Oddie created a personal relationship with her readers by sharing her farm family’s activities.
In her column, she answered readers’ questions on nutrition, food preparation and preservation, and consumer topics. She also shared updates on her Women’s Institute and professional home economic activities, encouraging readers to participate in leadership training opportunities and to voice their concerns about human rights issues, rural women’s role in rural development and about the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.
Through the years, various writers wrote about farm gardens and farmstead beautification in a How Does Your Garden Grow column.
Other regular columnists encouraged readers to write in to share their experiences and ask questions covering topics such as emotional and marital health, medical and legal issues. The requests did not use the reader’s name so personal concerns were answered anonomously through the paper. These columns all helped to create a sense of community between readers and the columnists.
During the war years, sugar and meat shortages were common article topics that assisted homemakers in coping with food rationing and the reduction of food waste.
The post-war years brought many advances for the farm family with rural electrification and new farm home building. Articles covering home planning ideas and the selection and use of new labour-saving appliances helped guide decisions.
During the 1970s, articles provided educational information about the metric system and its use in the home. New appliances like microwave ovens led to features on how to purchase, care for and to cook using this new technology.
With the advent of computers, rural families were encouraged to use them as record-keeping and planning tools.
In the 21st century, consumers are seeking locally grown, unprocessed foods that have better nutrient content and a lower energy food-print. Articles have encouraged farm families to return to the direct selling of their produce through produce baskets and farmers markets.
Educational opportunities have improved tremendously for rural children. Unfortunately, urban children are now so far removed from the farm they have no idea where their food originally comes from. Agriculture in the classroom programs can access issues of The Western Producer online at www.producer.com.
The Farm Living section of The Western Producer still focuses on providing information and education to help farm families meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Articles share farming success stories, innovative business ventures and farm transitions from one generation to the next.
Farmer suicide, spousal abuse and addictions are more openly discussed as the result of awareness campaigns and frank articles, but rural mental health issues are still of great concern.
The preparation and preserving of food are still central components of this section of the paper. Farmers produce the food, so it is only natural that a farm paper would provide information on how to enjoy it.
