The Bronfmans, who built a liquor empire and brought ‘Canadian whisky’ to the United States, started their journey in Western Canada
This is part of an ongoing series of stories exploring rye, the crop, as it becomes Rye, the whisky. BIENFAIT, Sask. — The trains still rumble and sound their mournful horns through the middle of Bienfait in southeastern Saskatchewan, but the train station where Paul Matoff was blown away with a shotgun blast in 1922 […] Read moreNews
Biosecurity bill takes another step
An amended version of the bill to fine barn trespassers has gone back to the House of Commons. The standing agriculture committee approved Bill C-275, which amends the Health of Animals Act, after clause-by-clause debate Oct. 16. John Barlow, opposition agriculture critic and committee vice-chair, sponsored the bill. He was pleased to see the bill […] Read more
Sask. ag emissions double: NFU report
A comprehensive look at Saskatchewan’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions shows they have doubled in the last 30 years. The report by National Farmers Union policy assistant John Mills found emissions were 11.1 million tonnes per year in 1990 and 22 million tonnes in 2021. Rising emissions from nitrogen fertilizer production use are a main contributor, […] Read more
Ghosts of Jewish farming past remain relevant
HIRSCH, Sask. — With dusty, short, dryland grass growing between the plots, the Hirsch cemetery seems like any of hundreds across the Prairies in autumn. The ground crunches when you walk between the plots. The wind whispers but says no names. The gravestones represent a collection of pioneers who lived in the early settlement days. […] Read more
EU organic output out of step with consumption
European farmers say they are encouraged to produce more organically even as consumer interest in the product wanes
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Organic consumption is falling in Europe even as governments mandate more production using that farming system. The European Commission is not paying attention to what people want, said Lode Ceyssens, president of the Belgian Farmers Union in Flanders. “They are not following consumer trends,” he said during a session on market and […] Read more
Plants’ water use efficiency stalled 20 years ago
Researchers have found a weakening response in plant growth and a sustained increase in plant water use since 2001
It has often been thought by scientists that the rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere benefit plants and increase their water-use efficiency by absorbing more carbon, using less water and increasing growth. But recent research by scientists at the University of New Hampshire and colleagues at the universities of Michigan State, Montana and […] Read more
Little left in the fields as harvest ’23 almost done
Provincial crop reports note a need for fall rain and heavy snowfall this winter as soil moisture continues to decline
With the majority of harvest complete across the Prairies, government agriculture ministries are taking a look at the season as a whole. Even with the last few acres of flax, canola, soybeans, oats and chickpeas still waiting for the combine, harvest in Saskatchewan is 98 percent done for the 2023 growing season. Yields and quality […] Read more
U.K. grocery code not good role model: farmer
Member of National Farmers Union in U.K. says Canada should consider his country’s experience as it finalizes its code
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Hearing praise for the grocery code of conduct in the United Kingdom drew Andrew Clark to his feet and the microphone. A member of the National Farmers Union in England, Clark said he knew a lot of farmers back home who wouldn’t recognize the code as particularly helpful. His comments came after […] Read more
Alta. town keeps up pressure on biodigester plan
Residents call for provincial moratorium amid fears project would add to feedlot odours they already experience
Residents of an Alberta community want a moratorium placed on biodigester projects in the province. The construction of one such project has been proposed for a feedlot near High River, Alta., and residents fear it will add to the foul smells they already endure from the operation. Related stories on this issue: Residents remain fearful […] Read more
Man. flower farm blossoms
Masagana means abundant, plentiful and prosperous in Tagalog and this word reflects Lourdes Still’s wish for her growing business. Masagana Flower Farm and Studio is on a rural property near La Broquerie, Man., and is owned by Still and her husband. Here, Still gradually expanded her U-pick flower farm and opened her new studio, in […] Read more
