A Saskatchewan forecaster who used pig spleens to chart the weather has died at age 68.
Glen Wickstrom, better known by his nickname Gus, was a well-known prankster and comedian who appeared on American and Canadian television shows and in the Farmers’ Almanac. He also was a fixture at trade shows as a representative for Power Pin tractor attachments.
The mixed farmer from Tompkins used the shape, colour and texture of spleens from slaughtered pigs to help guide planting and harvesting forecasts for farmers.
His Swedish grandfather taught him the skill of predicting rain and temperatures from the thickness of the organ.
The twice-married Wickstrom, stepfather to five children, died after a bout of pneumonia in Calgary Foothills Hospital.
