
Author Archives
Champêtre County — A Taste Of The Old West
In 1989, as a way of generating extra income for their grain farm near St. Denis, Saskatchewan, Thérse and Arthur Denis decided to open their farmyard as a “Western experience” destination. They built an Old West-style saloon and offered home-cooked meals, entertainment, and horse-drawn sleigh rides for groups, and held day camps for visitors who […] Read more
With Prairie-hardy varieties available now, these are not just for more moderate climates
Hydrangeas, those dramatic flowering shrubs once thought suitable only for more moderate climates, are now a Prairie garden staple. ANNABELLE Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle is an excellent, hardy variety. Its spectacular white drumstick blooms can measure from 10 to 14 inches across and more. Typically, Annabelle grows about three to five feet in height and blooms […] Read more
Entrepreneurial females create products from plants harvested from their organic farm
The women like to say the company is owned, operated and managed by all the entrepreneurial female descendants of the original farm family. What many people consider to be nuisance plants, Angela Hoffort and her family are turning into cool cash. Angela and her mother, Lyn Brown, and sister, Carmen Legge, operate Bedard Creek Acres, […] Read more
Art Raising Funds For Foundation
McKay’s paintings often depict Prairie landscapes, the simple beauty of nature and scenes from her childhood on the farm. Art has always been a part of 88-year-old Frances McKay’s life. Her daughter Connie Haywood recalls her first memory of Frances in 1949, painting a picture of a collie dog barking over a lamb lying in […] Read more
Candle Business Will Be Carried On
Emily Hand and Joan Wiebe are in a win-win situation. Emily is apprenticing to take over the beeswax candle business that her husband’s grandmother, Joan Wiebe, spent 10 years building in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. “When I started, I was determined to leave as small a footprint as I could,” Joan says. “I’m an ardent recycler, and […] Read more
Biggar, Saskatchewan Fabric Artist
“Things happen on the sewing machine, you know, things that make me feel like dancing when I’m done.” Cindy Hoppe is a fabric artist — a term, she says, that leaves the field open to a whole lot of things. “I’m not a quilter because I equate quilting to careful, precise stitching, and the materials […] Read more
Woman Of Many Talents
Before Leona Morrison’s husband passed away 30 years ago, he made her promise that when he was gone, she would get out and do things. She has certainly kept that promise. The 86-year-old Davidson, Saskatchewan woman has been so active in her community, it’s difficult to itemize all her accomplishments. When Harold passed away, Leona […] Read more
Saskatchewan’s Heritage Nursery
He received an honorary doctorate from the U of S and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. Honeywood Heritage Nursery near Parkside, Sask., has the distinction of being the only heritage nursery in Saskatchewan. It earned the designation through the tremendous horticultural contributions of its founder, Albert (Bert) Porter. Porter came to […] Read more
Seager Wheeler National Historic Farm
He left behind an agricultural legacy that is still recognized and respected today. Had Seager Wheeler been one inch taller, agriculture on the Prairies might have been a whole lot different. At less than five feet, the young Englishman was too short to get into the British navy. Immigrating to Canada was his second choice, […] Read more
Garden Glory And Pyramid Power
The farmyard of Sylvie Francoeur and her husband Cliff Shockey near Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, is one of artistic impact and creative innovation. Take the gateway to the houseyard, for instance. Entrance is through a gigantic old steam engine wheel that Cliff sank into the ground a couple of feet. After Sylvie’s attempts to grow hops over […] Read more
Grainews is written for farmers and often by farmers. It is about putting theory into practice on the farm. Each issue also features Cattleman’s Corner for cow-calf producers and farmers with mixed cattle and grain operations.