wildlife Archives - Page 3 of 4

Coyotes offer a credible rodent control service every day of the year.

Please do not shoot those coyotes

One man’s poison is another man’s meal. Or at least a meal for that pesky coyote 

By Ieuan Evans November 20, 2019

Prairie people frequently get together to shoot coyotes, often with the support of local farmers. I’m not against disposing of problem wildlife, but I fail to see any benefits from shooting coyotes. Coyotes are a major reason why we are not overrun by rabbits, jackrabbits, voles, mice, pocket gophers, rats and ground squirrels. If we […] Read more

Kildeer: This killdeer set up a nest among the asparagus. Those few plants were not picked and several eggs were successfully hatched. When we got too close the “broken wing” trick was played and photos of it were also possible.

Columns

PHOTOS: Les Henry: Wildlife on my Blackstrap farm

Almost all of my encounters with wildlife have been positive and occasionally photos have been possible. This is what I’ve learned

By Les Henry November 6, 2019

For 25 years I have owned land just a half hour drive south of Saskatoon, just east of Blackstrap Lake. In that time, I have had many wildlife encounters and observed several cycles of Mother Nature and her creatures. Wildlife conservation Some city slickers like to think farmers are bent on destruction of Mother Nature. […] Read more

A whitetail doe with her fawn approach a protective fence seeking an opportunity to nibble at something.

Farm Life, FarmLife

One man’s experience with destructive deer

Ted has a recipe to help discourage them from damaging trees and shrubs

By Ted Meseyton October 19, 2018

As I write this, September’s been a really wet one so far here in my part of Manitoba and elsewhere too, according to news reports. Seems moisture began falling not many days after I wrote about “The Rain Dance” in a local publication. Now a few folks have said — maybe it’s time to write […] Read more

Crops, News, Weather

Sask. harvest reaches 82 per cent, weather, wildlife seen damaging crops

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending October 15

By Saskatchewan Agriculture October 18, 2018

Although wet and cool weather conditions last week continued to delay harvest in much of the province, many producers are back in the field or will be soon. Eighty-two per cent of the crop is now in the bin, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report, up from 78 per cent last week but behind […] Read more

Gabi Uelinger holds six of the required native plants for a  Q2 meadow.

Features, Hay

Farming for the insects and birds

Government programs provide funds for Swiss farmers who follow new mowing rules

By Marianne Stamm October 9, 2018

Schleitheim, Switzerland: All around me farmers are mowing. From June 15th onwards farmers are allowed to cut meadows and hayfields qualifying for Q2 government subsidies. The Q2 (qualitätsstufe 2) program aims to provide and protect healthy habitat for birds and insects. Non-qualifying fields are already being cut the second or even the third time. Obviously […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Foxes and wolves are always on the hunt

A tree-climbing gray fox is a new name on the predator list

By Debbie Chikousky November 6, 2017

Predator loss is a reality all classes of livestock are susceptible to. Many with cattle do not have as big of a worry as those with sheep, goats, and poultry, but this pasture season was bad all over. Conversations with livestock producers across Canada showed us there is also a new threat around. Red foxes […] Read more

Everyone enjoys seeing wildlife, but they can have a negative impact on farming and ranching operations.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Managing wildlife/agriculture conflicts

Animal Health: Proper compensation part of the solution

By Roy Lewis September 21, 2017

There have been many articles written on the escalating conflict between wildlife and agriculture (both livestock and grain production) in certain areas of Canada. Our governments struggle to find balanced management options. The most recent survey (2014) on wildlife damage by Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and the Miistakis Institute shows a high percentage of farms […] Read more

Our neighbour Sy Miller with his jackhammer post pounder, setting posts for our new horse pen.

Cattleman’s Corner, Rancher’s Diary

Rancher’s Diary: Wildlife put pressure on cattle feed

On the home front, health issues to deal with

By Heather Smith Thomas March 29, 2017

January 25 With such cold weather in December and January we’ve gone through a lot of firewood. If it ever warms up, we can let the fire go out at night to save wood. Tuesday was Emily’s ninth birthday. We all had dinner at Andrea’s house. The elk are still coming into our field, pawing […] Read more

The feral boar issue is a tough problem for many parts of the Prairies, but it’s not unsolvable.

Columns

Only an optimist would take this on

Not everyone would have the nerve to start tackling our tough-to-solve wild boar problem

By Lisa Guenther February 12, 2016

I aspire to be a relentless optimist. I don’t mean that in a Pollyannaish sort of way. I like energetic optimists who get stuff done, such as Teddy Roosevelt and his national parks. I admire optimists with enough grit to figure out a way to climb over or under or around big obstacles. It’s very […] Read more

Michael Hicks first realized he had wild boar on his pasture after setting up a game camera over Thanksgiving. After Hicks shot two of the pigs, the rest scattered. But one pig keeps returning. Hicks thinks it lost its mate after the scramble, and is hoping to reunite. Note the long hair.

Features

Wild boar cause trouble on farms

There are many feral wild boar across the Prairies, but few of us will ever actually see them

By Lisa Guenther February 4, 2016

Michael Hicks likes to talk about wildlife. The Glaslyn-area farmer still chuckles about the time he watched a black bear stand as high as it could on its hind legs, longing for out-of-reach oats in a grain truck. But just after Thanksgiving, Hicks’ game camera recorded something new in his pasture near Thunderchild Reserve, in northwestern […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures higher on screwworm news

Trade mission heads for Japan as Canada becomes the country’s top pork supplier

U.S. grains: Soybeans drop on lack of Chinese demand, wheat hits contract lows

GFM Network News