For the next year, this column will mark The Western Producer’s 100th anniversary by taking a deep dive every week into a past issue of the paper.
The Saskatchewan government’s intention to significantly increase irrigation capacity around Lake Diefenbaker has been the talk of the province the last couple years.
Proponents often claim that the expansion would simply fulfil the original irrigation plans for the region before a previous provincial government pulled the plug on those dreams in the early 1970s.
Read Also
Crop insurance’s ability to help producers has its limitations
Farmers enrolled in crop insurance can do just as well financially when they have a horrible crop or no crop at all, compared to when they have a below average crop
So here we are, perusing the Feb. 22, 1973, issue of The Western Producer, when we’re suddenly offered ringside seats to watch the pulling of that plug.
The provincial government had just announced there would be no further development on the west side of the South Saskatchewan River irrigation project.
Agriculture minister Jack Messer said the irrigation works in the project were proving to be too costly, about $230,000 per farm for the works and $40,000 for development costs of each farm.
He said disappointing irrigation on the east side of the project prompted the government to reconsider the entire question of whether to proceed quickly or slowly or to suspend construction.
Opposition leader Dave Steuart called the decision the death knell of a great Saskatchewan dream. He pointed out that the government of NDP premier Allan Blakeney was talking about bold new plans for agriculture but failing serious tests when faced with them.
He said finishing the job started by former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, former prime minister John Diefenbaker and former federal agriculture minister J.G. Gardiner would cost a few more million dollars, a small amount compared with the millions already invested.
Still on the subject of learning how we got to where we are today, here’s a story from the front page about food packaging.
And I quote: “Meat producers in the U.S. were given another six months to meet new federal requirements for peek-a-boo windows in bacon packages and complete labelling of ingredients in hams.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the deadline was extended to avoid potential price increases in retail prices for bacon and ham.
So that’s how that happened.
