Water quality can affect animal welfare and the financial bottom line long before visual symptoms start to appear. “It never bothered them before” is an often-heard refrain when the welfare of animals is impaired by poor water quality. “We just can’t determine the quality of water by just looking at it,” explains Leah Clark of… Read More

Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan government rolled out its 2017-18 cost-cutting budget yesterday, and there’s something for everyone to pick on. Affecting all sectors, Wall is increasing the provincial sales tax (PST) from five to six per cent, and has re-written what goods and services are no longer PST-exempt. Specific for farmers, beginning April 1, 2017, fuel tax… Read More

Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan proclaimed March, “Rural Women’s Month,”and this year, they’re kicking it off with a new event, called “Celebrating Rural Ranching Women.” Speakers for the day, which runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on February 26, 2016, include Anne Wasko, marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock; Kathy Larson, beef economist with… Read More

There’s plenty of excitement surrounding lentils heading into the 2016 growing season, with record acres expected. In this Pulse School episode, Shannon Chant of Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture shares her top five tips for a good (or even great) lentil crop: 5 Tips for a Great Lentil Crop Good quality seed — Of course it… Read More

In an effort to raise awareness around feed testing, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Central Testing Laboratories and Saskatchewan Peavey Mart has kicked off  a province wide Hay Harvest Challenge for forage producers. “We essentially wanted to have kind of a fun and great way for forage producers to become more aware of the importance of feed… Read More

The Saskatchewan Wheat Commission has launched an online, map-based tool designed to help farmers anticipate fusarium risk on their farms. The tool, available on the Sask Wheat website, is a series of fusarium risk assessment maps that will be updated daily using data collected from approximately 421 weather stations across Saskatchewan. The maps are generated… Read More

One of the leading causes of herbicide injury in canola is insufficient sprayer cleaning, says Clark Brenzil, provincial weed control specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Whether due to drift or residue, herbicide injury can result in drastic yield losses, besides being an eye-sore to drive by. Related: Spray Tips with Tom Wolf — Ep. 6: 7 Steps to… Read More

Calving seasons should be 63 days (3, 21-day cycles), with at least 60% of the calves born in the first 21 days, according to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. This helps calving cows stay on track, increases the size of calves at weaning (by up to 100 pounds from 1st to 3rd cycle) and improves… Read More