TRIBUNE, Sask. – A year ago, few in southeastern Saskatchewan were concerned about lack of moisture. A Nov. 1, 2000 storm dumped enough snow to block roads, knock out electricity, close schools and offer hope for the next growing season. This spring the area was one of the few bright spots as much of the […] Read more
News — page 4629
Dry summer unexpected in S.E. Sask.
Winter of chance
MILK RIVER, Alta. – Roy Audet slides a photo album across the kitchen table. Photos of a full hay yard taken in past years sit in stark contrast to the current view from his dining room window. The cattle are already home and on feed, and the hay lot is only half full. It is […] Read more
Special crops get attention of railroad
Canadian National Railway has two new programs it hopes will appease the special crops industry. The guaranteed car order program gives processors an assurance that the boxcars they order will arrive when requested or else they will be compensated by the railway. Customers can place boxcar orders up to eight weeks in advance. The requests […] Read more
Corn grazing becomes feasible in Sask.
LANIGAN, Sask. – If a cow comes by your house on Halloween, don’t bother reaching for the chocolate bars or caramel apples. Just give it a cob of corn. “They find this stuff just like candy,” said Bart Lardner, research co-ordinator at the Western Beef Development Centre’s Termuende research farm. Standing in a windswept corn […] Read more
Sask crop insurance bill may be smaller than projected
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. says the drought picture isn’t shaping up to be as ugly as the sketch it drew a few months ago. Back in September, the agency was worried about running out of money. Senior officials thought claims could hit $570 million, coming dangerously close to breaking the bank. The crown corporation collected […] Read more
Rancher thrives on learning, sharing
BONNYVILLE, Alta. – Every four years, Guy Fontaine takes on a new project. On Jan. 1, 1999, he decided to learn Spanish as a millennium project. Each night for a year he read Spanish books and listened to Spanish tapes. In November that year he flew to Costa Rica for a 12 week Spanish immersion […] Read more
Food aid record a shame – Opinion
OCT. 16, World Food Day, should be a day for Canada to brag and for Canadians to feel good. Despite all the income and weather problems on the farm, Canada remains a food-producing powerhouse. Farmers are efficient, food is in abundance and Canada has a well-deserved reputation as a world bleeding-heart, leading the charge to […] Read more
Rail alliance waiting on provincial money
The Prairie Alliance for the Future is ready to start hauling grain on rail lines leased from Canadian National Railway. But it’s not going to happen unless the Saskatchewan government kicks in an unspecified amount of money. “Financially they have to come to the table,” said PAFF chair Kyle Korneychuk, who described provincial funding as […] Read more
Manitoba farmers spark anthrax scare
Charlene Kaartinen now knows first-hand how the anthrax scare has resonated in the minds of Canadians. Kaartinen and her husband, cattle producers at Eriksdale, Man., were notified on Oct. 16 that a product they distribute had triggered a small evacuation at a major mail sorting point in Ontario. “When (Canada Post officials) phoned me they […] Read more
System could shake up grain transport
A new grain shipping system being pioneered by the Prairie Alliance for the Future could presage changes to the way grain is moved off the Prairies, says a transportation analyst. “It may well be quite an interesting competitive threat to the high throughput elevators in selected areas,” said Barry Prentice, director of the University of […] Read more