Columns & Production Tips

Editor’s Column: A new solution for safety

By Leeann Minogue August 29, 2017

Harvest is underway. So far, we’ve only combined our peas, which have run about average. That’s pretty relieving after this dry summer. We’re a little worried about the canola — a nearby farmer told us his harvested canola is smaller than fine-ground pepper. That’s not a good sign. Safety is important all year, but it […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Know your lactating dairy diet costs

Look to find a balance between very expensive and very cheap rations

By Peter Vitti August 21, 2017

Occasionally, I talk to dairy producers about the financial aspects of operating a barn, aside from dairy nutrition. All producers wish to reduce their lactating feed costs. One producer I know wants to switch to a notorious cheap protein supplement, while another wants to hire a private dairy consultant and tender out all dairy feed […] Read more

Columns, Crops

“One more” detail of farming: the yard

Long-time farmers take farmyards for granted, but looking after a farmstead is a big job

By Toban Dyck August 15, 2017

I am a farmer. Most likely you are, too. This means more on some days than others. Today, it means that frost boil at the mouth of our carport needs to be dealt with. Tomorrow, who knows. On the farm right now, I think about the future. About what looms. I look up through the […] Read more

Columns

Getting the call: summoned for jury duty

Some people will do anything to get out of the office. Lisa Guenther chose a chance to learn about the courts

By Lisa Guenther August 14, 2017

This spring, I picked up some mail that had been sent to my old address. To my surprise and disdain, I’d received a juror summons from Sask Justice. How it works In many ways, jury selection in rural Saskatchewan is quite different from what we see in the movies or in American news stories. However, […] Read more

Off-farm investing is intended to spread risk and produce alternative income. Investing spare cash  from farm profits in an agricultural commodity is not really diversifying.

Columns, Guarding Wealth

Investing: taking risks in the new economy

Old economy, new economy. Finding safe off-farm investments in a perilous world

By Andrew Allentuck August 4, 2017

It is the question closest to the hearts and digestions of most investors: How long can the good times last? The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite index was up 26.3 per cent for the 12-month period ending June 7, 2017. Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index rose a modest 7.7 per cent in the same period, restrained by flagging […] Read more

These old wooden elevators at Laura, Sask., had developed some peculiar angles by the late 1980s when I took this photo. The Tessier aquifer is underneath and flows from a relatively shallow depth. In 1946 the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator in Laura drilled a 28-foot test hole that flowed, but no well is recorded.

Columns, Crops

How water comes out of the ground

Water comes to the surface in many different ways

By Les Henry August 2, 2017

In my last column I looked at water entering the ground and the factors that control that flow. This time, I’ll look at water coming out of the ground and the clues it leaves about its origin. Contact springs A contact spring occurs when the contact zone between a very sandy soil and a finer […] Read more

Machinery, Wheat & Chaff

Remove and store duals safely to prevent injuries

By Canadian Agricultural Safety Association August 1, 2017

Duals are useful to improve traction and reduce soil compaction. However, for some farming activities, they may no longer be necessary. Removing them reduces tire wear and enhances maneuverability. While removing duals doesn’t seem dangerous, there are some hazards associated with the task. People have been crushed by falling wheels and experienced strains and sprains. […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Pulses, Wheat & Chaff

Hit the mark with your pulse and cereal fungicides

By David Forster August 1, 2017

When getting set to apply a fungicide to pulses and cereals, remember that disease prevention and suppression is your main goal. Fungicides need to be applied on target in order to be effective, which is why you should keep water volumes and travel speeds top-of-mind. Use the highest registered water volume while lowering your travel […] Read more

Cereals, Columns, Crops

A look back at pricing your wheat

Marketing grain is always a risky business. Here’s what could have happened

By Brian Wittal July 31, 2017

Spring seeding and combining went better than expected for the most part across the Prairies and the crops are off to a decent start. Excess rains in some regions and dryness in others has caused some concerns but overall the crop is in and growing and looking good. Weather forecasters are watching the current La […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Avoid giving your baby calves gut aches

It takes time for a calf stomach to develop to handle certain feeds

By Peter Vitti July 25, 2017

I visit literarily hundreds of dairy farms across Canada each year. On most, pre-weaned dairy calves are raised away from the main lactation barn or older replacement heifer facilities. Whether these baby calves are housed in hutches, group pens or brand-new calf barns, when I find a group of calves that are sick and not […] Read more

Daily Network News

Southern California honeybees show resistance to varroa mites

Pulse Weekly: SaskPulse optimistic despite input, crop price concerns

Canadian aquaculture should be classed as agriculture, industry groups say