VEGREVILLE, Alta. – Few farmers want to return to binders and threshing machines, but most will gladly spend time pitching bundles and driving old equipment to give young people an appreciation of farming history. Orest Lazarowich spent Oct. 5 shuttling groups of schoolchildren between a clanking threshing machine and a dusty fanning mill to give […] Read more
News
History comes alive at threshing bee
Museums starved for funding
VEGREVILLE, Alta. – Modern museums need more than volunteers and the smell of an oily rag to survive, said the executive director of the Alberta Museum Association. A lack of money is the number one problem facing the association’s 200 member museums, said Gerry Osmond. A few museums, such as the Vegreville Regional Museum, employ […] Read more
Alta. monitors nitrogen levels
LAKE LOUISE, Alta. – Alberta is attempting to ensure it avoids the kind of ecological damage linked to nitrogen oversaturation in Europe. Conclusions from a 2001 nitrogen assessment survey determined about 120,000 tonnes of ammonia per year are released into the atmosphere from a variety of sources. “The conclusion was that agriculture produces about 90 […] Read more
Maple Leaf pulls plug on hog plant
Maple Leaf Foods shocked Saskatchewan hog producers last week when it announced it has changed its mind about building a $110 million slaughter plant in Saskatoon. In its Oct. 12 announcement, which was part of a major restructuring plan for the company, Maple Leaf also said it will close its existing Mitchell’s Gourmet Foods slaughter […] Read more
Proposed ethanol plant based on culled spuds
Saskatchewan taxpayers have, in a round-about way, invested in an unusual ethanol project. Government money from an out-of-court settlement involving the province’s ill-fated Spudco potato initiative is being reinvested in an ethanol venture in Lucky Lake, Sask., that will be partically based on potatoes. Mark Langefeld, who spearheaded the lawsuit against the province on behalf […] Read more
Grain price hike improves outlook
Just as input bills are coming due, crop prices have shot up. And as wheat hits 10-year highs, farmers are able to enjoy a small reminder of the days when the crop was a big moneymaker. “It’s nice to see it going up. Guys are pretty happy about that,” said Marengo, Sask., farmer and grain […] Read more
Signing deadline nears for Options program
Farmers have until Oct. 31 to sign up for the Canadian Farm Families Options program. As of Oct. 8, almost 5,000 applications have been received for the new program and cheques totalling more the $30 million have been mailed out to producers. The average payment is $10,580, according to Agriculture Canada. The program is designed […] Read more
CFIA looks to hasten approvals on inputs
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is on a mission to reduce its overwhelming backlog of fertilizer and supplement applications. Luc Mougeot, acting national manager of the CFIA’s fertilizer program, said it is a top-to-bottom modernization initiative that will make Canadian farmers more competitive with their counterparts in the United States. Long delays in getting new […] Read more
Sask. ethanol project rivalry heats up
Two recently announced rival ethanol projects planned for Saskatchewan’s irrigation district are taking potshots at one another. Mark Langefeld, spokesperson for a group of investors interested in building a potato-based plant in Lucky Lake, Sask., had harsh words about a project proposed a half-hour’s drive north. In a presentation sponsored by the Prairie Policy Centre, […] Read more
CWB debate threatens sales
Uncertainty over the future of the Canadian Wheat Board is damaging relations with important overseas customers, says the board’s chief executive officer. And that could threaten the ability of prairie grain farmers to secure long-term access to some of those markets. “It’s the first issue they want to talk about when we meet,” said Adrian […] Read more
