Sled Dog Race Resonates with Northern Residents

source: Farm and Food Report

Picture this: a hundred or more sleek, exuberant sled dogs straining at the lines — raring to get started on a 600-km race. Yips of excitement; prancing animals; breath on the cold air; fit, lean mushers — teenagers and retirees checking their gear, as handlers make sure the teams have everything they need.

On February 17, that will be the scene on Central Avenue in Prince Albert, as the 8th annual Northern Lights Canadian Challenge sled dog race gets under way.

Twelve-dog teams will make the trip to La Ronge and back, while six-dog teams will undertake the return leg only, with means that allow little error. Spruce Home’s Stewart Elliott led that six-dog race last year, until the last 25 kilometres.

“The dogs just got played out. But it was a learning experience.”

Elliott is no ordinary musher. He is a 68 year-old retired farmer who discovered the world of dog sledding a bit by accident.

“My son was into dogs. It kind of grew on me. I was looking for something to stay active and outdoors. It is so relaxing; so peaceful. It is also rewarding to see the dogs evolve as a team while you work with them. When you are out there, it is just you, the dogs and the bush. There is a great sense of accomplishment I get from just that.”

And what a journey it is. The race follows a route into the north similar to that of the old dog trail used by trappers, the North West Mounted Police and the First Nations community before the advent of roads.

“You actually race all night,” says Elliott. “So you stay up. I hadn’t done that since I was a teenager. There is an 85-mile stretch without stops that you must undertake in total darkness. If there is a full moon out, it is just incredible. Your adrenaline gets going. And, you know, the dogs race better at night because they just focus on the trail.”

Elliott is a well-known figure in the mushing community. He built his own sleigh and has worked on up to seven of those that will be used during the race. Apparently, bragging about your abilities to win among your peers is a bit of a tradition in mushing culture.

“I want to get to the finish line first. A lot of this is psychological, but you have to set yourself a goal — that’s what experienced mushers say — and just go for that goal.”

The racers won’t go unnoticed. The first checkpoint is at Land of the Loon Resort at Anglin Lake. Here, handlers and vets will be standing by to check the dogs before they proceed onto the lake and through the bush to Elk Ridge Resort. These are both good opportunities for the public to follow the race; both resorts offer accommodations and restaurant services for visitors.

The teams leave Elk Ridge eastward along the highway, then go north on Highway 2 to Timber Cove, where they will follow the recently closed road to the third checkpoint at Montreal Lake.

The Montreal Lake Cree Nation is planning a major celebration, including bonfires and food on the lake ice. This would be another great place to follow the race. Vehicle access to Montreal Lake is now via a new highway accessible through the intersection four kilometres south of the Waskesiu River.

The next stage of the race is northward on Montreal Lake, through the forest, to Weyakwin, a highway community at Kilometre 205. More celebrations are planned there before the teams begin the last and longest leg to La Ronge, where they are expected to arrive during the evening of Friday, February 18.

It will be winter festival time in La Ronge, and all kinds of fun and games are planned for that evening at the turnaround point of the race. A large marquee will be set up close to where the dogs finish the first part of the race and bed down for their mandatory 10-hour layover. Chili and bannock will be available to all for a small fee; there will be local entertainers, a jigging contest, king and queen trapper events; hot dogs, marshmallows and hot chocolate later over the outside bonfire, and a silent auction of donated items, with proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

Saturday morning, the six-dog race gets underway at 10:00 a.m. The 12-dog teams can head for the finish line back in Prince Albert at anytime after their mandatory rest.

Stewart Elliott explains how important this event is for northern communities:

“It is helping keep the culture and knowledge around mushing alive. I noticed that more and more native people in the north are getting back into dogs. When snowmobiles came, people just got rid of their dogs. It seems now more people are getting around with the dogs, conducting some of their traditional trapping activities with dogs again now.”

Elliott takes pride in seeing 16, 17 and 18 year-olds developing an interest in this special relationship humans and dogs have enjoyed for so long in this land of trees, lakes and rock we call the boreal forest. Increasing awareness about how people traveled before cars and airplanes, over this vast territory, can only help generate renewed interest in the North and its peoples.

For more information, contact:
Stewart Elliott
(306)764-7843

Dave Young
President, Gateway North Sled Dog Association
(306)764-1711 (W)
(306)960-7521 (Cell)

Gill Gracie
La Ronge Challenge Committee
(306) 425-3826 (W)
(306) 425-7280 (Cell)
http://www.canadianchallenge.ca

Economuseums Turn Agricultural Know-How into New Income

source: Farm and Food Report

The word Economuseum may not be part of our daily vocabulary here in Saskatchewan, but it sure has caught on in the Maritimes and Quebec, where 41 such establishments have opened since 1992, with a view to eventually reaching Saskatchewan.

Architect and ethnologist Cyril Simard is the founder of the Economuseum concept.

“We are currently working on launching an Ontario network,” Simard says. “In every region of the country we go, we first establish a local organization to take on expansion activities. This network of businesses is composed of multitalented artisans who open their doors to the public, so as to share their passion for their art, trade and heritage. The businesses are chosen mainly for the quality of their welcome and for their products.”

Economuseums are fine cider houses, mills, dairies, blacksmith shops, apiaries, furriers, weavers, leather makers, soap manufacturers, wild berry pickers and bakers — the stewards of a craft or agri-food business whose products are the fruit of an authentic technique or know-how.

They are self-financed through the sale of their products and make innovative contributions to tourism and local economies by tapping into knowledge that is rooted in tradition and identity.

“These independent businesses help preserve skills and traditional occupations that are often in danger of being lost,” Simard explains. “They create new jobs and often turn temporary employment into permanent jobs. Together, current Economuseums employ more than 400 people; they cumulate sales of more than $25 million, and welcome annually over 750,000 visitors.”

More than a third of Economuseums have an agri-food angle, and they all have six fundamental components that guests experience as they enter the facilities.

There is a reception area where the Economuseum network is introduced and where space is devoted to cultural heritage through the commemoration of a key figure, craft, event, historical period or site. A permanent plaque indicating the partners associated with the development of the business is also exhibited in a visitor gathering area.

There is a production workshops section. It is the heart of the Economuseum, where the craftsperson and/or his team produce contemporary objects drawing inspiration from traditional methods. Visitors must see the craftspeople at work to understand the production process. They are encouraged to ask them questions about the techniques used in fabrication. This area is equipped with educational tools suited to explaining the production process, techniques, and materials, and to providing other relevant information.

Guest then move to a section devoted to the interpretation of objects from the past — exhibition space showing visitors of all ages the creativity of the craftspeople using documented traditional objects and texts explaining the various facets of the craft from a historical perspective.

A typical visit next takes guests to an area designed for the interpretation of contemporary production, which involves how the craft has evolved into what it is today. This features products, works or pilot-projects referring to the adaptation of traditional products from the past to contemporary needs.

Next, there is an area set aside for reading, documentation and archives, where visitors who want to learn more about the craft practiced by the craftsperson can access additional information.

Lastly, there is a boutique or salesroom, which is the point of transaction where the museum earns its keep — this is a space set aside for the sale of products made by the craftsperson, as well as for associated merchandise.

All artisans interested in becoming members of the Economuseum network must first meet some stringent eligibility criteria. Once this requirement has been met, the next step consists of submitting a business portfolio for further evaluation by the network's selection committee.

“The business has to have been in private operation for more than three years,” explains Simard. “It must use a traditional technique or know-how to craft one’s products — for instance, a fine saddle maker might be considered. It must make products of recognized quality; it must have the ability and the desire to innovate in one’s production; it must operate throughout the entire year and be open to the public for at least four months a year. There is quite a list, but this background work greatly contributes to the Economuseum’s success.”

Once established, Economuseums add a richness to tourism offerings that significantly diversifies the local economy in rural settings — in that, they break new ground successfully.

For more information on Economuseums and the International Economuseum Network Society, visit: http://www.economusees.com

For more information, contact:
Cyril Simard, President and CEO
International Economuseum Network Society
(418) 694-4466

Restoration of Historic Church a Journey for Some

source: Farm and Food Report

When Leander K. Lane, a descendant of the first African American settlers in Saskatchewan, set his mind on restoring the Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery - established in 1911 north of Maidstone - what started out as a heritage preservation effort became an intense personal journey.

“My great grandfather Julius Caesar Lane was the first person to be buried in the cemetery in 1913,” Lane says. “My father lived in the area until the 1950s. There are no longer any black families living there — I live in Edmonton — but I became interested in finding out more about the Shiloh people and their history.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, African Americans answered the call for new settlers with the lure of free homesteads if they travelled north to Canada, from their native Oklahoma.

With very few means, dozens of these families arrived in Saskatchewan around 1910, from which 12 families settled in the Eldon District north of Maidstone. The rest carried on their quest and eventually created the community of Amber Valley in northern Alberta. By the following year, the new Saskatchewan residents had started to build from squared logs a church for their community.

By the late 1940s, most of these families left the area and, by 1971, only one member of the original group was left. In 1971, when the Saskatchewan Homecoming 71 celebration was held, the building was in serious need of repair.

At that time, the provincial government was providing funding for homecoming projects across the province, so the North of the Gully District Committee - made up of a group of individuals from the five surrounding districts of Mclaren, Middleton, Dry Gully, Standard Hill and Eldon - decided that the restoration of Shiloh Church would be a worthy project. Tractor blades were bolted to the walls to reinforce them, flooring was repaired, and the roof was re-shingled in preparation for the celebration.

In October 2002, Lane and 10 other interested descendants of the Shiloh people created the Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery Restoration Society. Their first goal was to raise the funds to create a monument to commemorate the history of the community. But the most ambitious project was yet to come. The church building was in dire need of repairs. Lane and his group went about raising $20,000 in cash donations to completely restore this important municipal heritage property, with the help of another $20,000 from the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation.

“The restoration work started in late October of 2004,” Lane says. “We had to replace half the logs of the building, including 75 per cent of the north wall, which was beyond repair. We had to replace all the joists; poured concrete pads; then we re-laid all the original foundation stones. We repaired some windows, put in new doors, and installed new flooring - and we’re not nearly done.” The Society is currently trying to raise funds to pay for daubing and chinking, new shingles, and some additional landscaping needs.

“Seven senior members of the Society were born in Saskatchewan,” Lane says. “And while we younger members never lived in the area, we all have in common this desire to preserve our heritage. With the help of the R.M., our Society has legally acquired the cemetery grounds and the church. It was recognized early on that we had a certain moral authority to do this, and we are really pleased that the Rural Municipality of Eldon and people of Maidstone have been this supportive of our initiative.”

Today, Leander K. Lane is a heavy-duty mechanic working for Canadian National Railway, with a significant part of himself invested in a beautiful site in the Saskatchewan parkland, sheltered by tall evergreens and trembling aspen groves.

“I guess, in a way, I also take pride in how the elders who have this direct and quite vivid experience of life in the Eldon District trust me to guide the development of the site in a respectful — yet inclusive — manner,” says Lane. “Our intentions are simple: celebrating the contribution of African American settlers to Western Canadian society.”

For more information, contact:
Leander K. Lane
Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery Restoration Society
(780) 478-9969

Agritourism Operators Package Lifestyle Into Guest Experiences (Part Two)

source: Farm and Food Report

Agritourism as a means to diversify income sources on the farm has been getting increased attention lately because of the number of options that can be considered, as well as the number of success stories right here in Saskatchewan.

The magnificent Historic Reesor Ranch in the Cypress Hills, where each guest room has its own theme, is a case in point. The William D. and Alice Room celebrates the lives of the first Reesor family in the Hills, with artifacts and photographs lovingly displayed on the walls. The Keith and Helen Room features the second generation; the Ranch Hand’s Room interprets the lives of those less celebrated who contributed no less to the success of the ranch.

Everything about the 1916 ranch house, yard and buildings tells of the hardships and joys of life in a part of the world that one must inhabit to truly understand. Authenticity radiates all around the ranch, thanks to its heritage. Yet, authenticity can be articulated in innumerable ways.

Just east of Saskatoon, St. Denis’ Champêtre County espouses a theme that resonates with the Denis family and countless Saskatchewan residents: nostalgia for the Old West. Hence, the frontier town of Tumbleweed was erected out at the Denis farm. It comes with a Sheriff’s Office, where guests register; the Howling Coyote Saloon, the main facility for meals and special events; as well as a General Store, a Town Hall, and a Boarding House. Thérèse and Arthur Denis have created quite the place out here on the prairie.

“We have moved beyond the farm,” says Thérèse. “We have really become a destination. We had to market it right because we are located away from highways, so we chose to focus on group functions. We host family reunions, weddings, corporate events and meetings — we are constantly honing the experiences and services we offer to answer our customers’ needs. For instance, we have a complete photographic studio on-site, so guests can take home with them a little piece of our place here.”

The authenticity in this case emerges from the fact that Thérèse and her family still live right here in the yard, which is tended with the kind of attention to detail one finds normally in the most meticulously looked-after gardens. “We are welcoming these guests at our place a bit like you welcome a friend in your home. In a way, we become part of their celebration; they become part of our family.”

It should also be noted that Arthur Denis happens to be Tumbleweed’s Sheriff. Guests are advised to be on their best behaviour for the duration of their stay.

Of course, when the natural beauty of the surroundings is as overwhelming as one encounters at Aylesbury’s Trails End Guest Ranch, very little theming is required. From Highway 11, the big sign catches the eye. A quick drive east over a couple of kilometres and you enter the picturesque Arm River Valley. Meet Lyle Benz and his wife Chris. She’s originally from the eastern United States; he was born and raised around here. They share a passion for horses and cattle.

The Guest Ranch achieved new heights about four years ago, when Lyle came to realize that his 1,000 acre ranch was attracting all kinds of visitors. “We had a lot of city people who used to come down here. It is such a beautiful place in the summertime. They asked us if they could come down for the weekend, and being that I was here every day, I didn’t recognize the significance of this until after a few occasions. I had to ask people what they saw here that I didn’t? The serenity of the valley is basically the first thing they came up with; the peacefulness; just the aura of the valley itself, the ruggedness of it.”

In 2001, they opened the guest ranch with three comfortable cabins made out of cleverly refurbished wooden grain bins. The humble original farmhouse is also available for rent. They have a hot tub; they built a kitchen/office building down by the creek as well as a stable and a sheltered riding arena.

What experiences do they offer? “The whole cowboy experience,” according to Lyle, “to go out and ride with us and work with us on everyday activities; checking fences, checking cattle, helping us treat a sick one. People are invited to participate in our round-ups and general herd management procedures. We also offer hourly trail rides. All the land down here in the valley is native grass.”

The ruins of a turn-of-the-century sod house are still visible on the hillside across Arm River. The stove sits in the middle of it. Apparently, the homesteader’s wife loved this place so much she had herself buried on a point on the hillside, overlooking the valley.

Interpreting the local landscape to visitors is what Chris and Lyle love most, next to sharing their love of horses. “We are set up for people who bring their own horses, as well,” says Chris. “We have a complete horse obstacle course. We have bridges; we have a teeter-totter that you ride your horse across. We teach guests how to swim with their horse. We have corrals; outdoor rings; we have a race track; we have full service RV sites if they want to come in and bring their campers with them.”

Lyle Benz has noticed a change in the profile of visitors in recent years.

“One of the drawback people in Saskatchewan have about vacationing with their horses is everybody grew up on a farm and in a lot of cases, the last thing they want to do is go on a farm and see a horse. The first generations away from the farm are the ones coming back now. They are really interested in Grandpa and Grandma’s roots. We have had a lot of guests from Alberta coming back. Mum and dad moved to Alberta in the ‘60s, ‘70s — they just want to see where Grandma and Grandpa homesteaded.”

The Centennial year looks like it will be a good one for agritourism in Saskatchewan.

For more information, contact:

Thérèse and Arthur Denis
(306) 258-4635
http://www.champetrecounty.com/

Theresa Reesor
(306) 662-3498
http://www.reesorranch.com

Trails End Guest Ranch
http://www.guest-ranch.ca
1-866-885-0775

Agritourism Operators Package Lifestyle Into Tourism Experiences (Part One)

source: Farm and Food Report

Agritourism as a means to diversify income sources on the farm has been getting increased attention lately because of the number of options that can be considered, as well as the number of success stories right here in Saskatchewan.

For example, had Seager Wheeler (1868-1961) been living today, he’d probably marvel at what his Maple Grove Farm has become: a National Historic Site — a place that celebrates the achievements of the most famous farmer in the history of the Canadian Prairies; a place to learn, play and eat. It is also one of Saskatchewan’s most compelling agritourism destinations, just on the edge of Rosthern.

For Ag Manager Brian Weightman, working here is the realization of a long time dream.

“I have a crop production background. I like the interaction with guests, the ability to share something that maybe they didn’t understand about growing crops — something as simple as the characteristics of a variety of fruit, the difference between a grafted tree and a cultured tree. There is an enrichment aspect for me, too, because sometimes you’ll get a person from Europe with a different experience of agriculture who contributes to your knowledge. Every day is a new challenge, and every day I learn a new thing.”

Visitors to the farm discover all about field experimentation with cereals and horticulture in a prairie environment, shelterbelts, soil enhancement practices and soil conservation strategies. They find out how Seager Wheeler developed new selection processes and wheat varieties, earning him international recognition, with virtually no knowledge and no tools — just a strong aspiration for success. Guests are actually invited to take part in some of the work performed on site.

“We have school groups that literally plant seeds and seedlings in our fields,” Weightman says. “They learn about how soils evolved from the glacial era until today. In some cases, they come back for the harvest and take the vegetables to school. With our fruit orchards, they can trim the trees and pick the fruit. Adults pick much of our fruit and we share it with them. Time spent earns fruit.”

Weightman looks after saskatoon berry, strawberry, raspberry, sour cherry, apple, honeysuckle and seabuckthorn production, among other responsibilities.

“We make pies and homemade ice cream, so some of that fruit is applied as flavouring. We make muffins, jams, jellies — sometimes sundae toppings and locally made fruit dishes, including fruit-filled perogies. We will produce pretty much any application that would come from a few local cultural groups such as Ukrainians, Mennonites and French Canadians.”

The farm welcomes visitors from around the world, and there are always experiences available that match their expectations, according to Weightman. “They come away with a feeling of what a wonderful lifestyle it is, and the harmony with nature and the existence itself. We see nature sometimes in a bad sense when there is a flood or a bad storm, but when you work in the soil and you see the life that is in the soil as it grows the plant, you develop a sense of warming from the sun and the birds. So I think they come away with a sense of how rich earth is and how good it is.”

If Brian Weightman is obviously passionate about his work, the same can be said of an increasing number of tourism product consumers who include more hands-on, behind the scenes type of experiences as part of their holiday. Studies have shown that this kind of experiential travel is on the rise. No longer do travellers look to simply be shown attractions. They long for encounters with an increasing level of participation that will generate lasting memories.

To cater to this need, new marketing initiatives have been set into motion. Angela Pearen Burnside is the coordinator of Travel Country Roads Canada, a group of agritourism operators on the leading edge of the next generation of agricultural tourism products.

“One of the emerging types of experiences that sells at the moment focuses on showcasing local gastronomic traditions. For instance, we have seen a rural bed and breakfast bring in a chef, where the actual product would involve inviting guests to help through the food preparation process, cook the dish and eat it, too. The agritourism product in this case becomes the culinary experience that is staged in a rural setting and sold as a distinctive package.”

The variety of agritourism experiences is only limited by imagination. Guest ranches have being enjoying certain popularity in recent years for a number of reasons.

There is location — they are generally in a remote setting, which impacts on their exotic quality as a destination. Ranches also appeal as places where guests can engage in horseback riding activities with people who live off the land, have an intimate knowledge of horses and cattle, and possess a unique appreciation for the Great Plains.

Ted Hornung is Manager of International Marketing at Tourism Saskatchewan.

“What we are seeing is a genuine interest among international guests in experiencing what it is like to be a rancher, at a deeper level,” Hornung says. “They want to participate in cattle drives, check the cows and calves in the pastures. They wish to integrate a personal enrichment quality with their holiday, which at some level has the potential to transform their lives. In order to achieve that, they almost have to immerse themselves into somebody else’s world. And the ranching lifestyle is perceived as being wholesome.”

Some people choose to go on a journey to Tibet to seek inner growth and wisdom. Spending some time with a cowboy on the range can go a long way to provide some of that, too.

For more information, contact:
Ted Hornung
Tourism Saskatchewan
(306) 787-3016

Esterhazy Plans Potash Interpretive Centre

source: Farm and Food Report

One can hardly drive through Esterhazy without noticing the importance of the potash industry in the region. There is the statue of Potash Pete the Miner and the potash mines that stand out in the prairie landscape.

Potash has played an important role in the local economy for many years, and now a committee made up of Saskatchewan residents would like to build a place where the significance of potash will be presented in an accessible way to area visitors. Former mayor John Nightingale chairs the committee.

“We want the Centre to represent the entire industry in the province. Ninety-five per cent of the potash produced in Canada comes from our region. Saskatchewan is the largest potash producer in the world, generating thousands of jobs. We thought there was a need to better communicate to the public how potash is extracted and used. This is what our interpretive centre will achieve.”

The committee recently commissioned Beauchesne & Company, a successful Regina exhibit design firm, to come up with a concept for the centre that will really take future guests to the heart of potash mining operations.

Nightingale himself is a former V.P. and General Manager of an IMC (now Mosaic) mine. A mechanical engineer by trade, he has worked all his life in mines.

“Potash mines are fascinating places, as deep as 3,100 feet below the ground. Miners go down the shaft in a cage on a trip that takes around three minutes. They travel underground in specially adapted trucks — pickup trucks without cabs – for 30 to 45 minutes to the mining location. There are hundreds of miles of tunnels underground. The environment is quite warm, between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Miners certainly don’t need extra clothes.”

The mine itself is made up of tunnels of varying widths, eight to 10 feet high. There are underground dining areas 10 to 20 feet wide, with microwave ovens and coffee pots. There are also fully autonomous equipment maintenance shops that can be 50 feet wide by 300 feet long.

“The machines bore through the rock continuously, and only 50 per cent of the available ore is extracted in order to leave pillars in the ground that will hold up the rock above. There is a complex process involved in extracting the actual potash, as the ore contains 20 to 27 per cent KCl, which is the potash mineral itself. The rest is halite — regular table salt.”

The Esterhazy Potash Interpretive Centre Committee wishes to really make the Centre as engaging as possible for all kinds of visitors.

“We can’t take guests below the ground, but we certainly can make them feel what it is like to work in this kind of environment. They will be able to enter a cage in which we will simulate the airflow in the shaft and the vibrations of the journey below the ground. Air quality is always a priority. Not only that, but we also plan to design interactive activities and displays that will interpret the milling process, the benefits of potash uses in agriculture — how it contributes to plant growth.”

Nightingale and his fellow committee members aim to build the Centre in association with the 15-acre Esterhazy Historical Park, where there is already an outdoor display of some of the equipment used in potash mining operations, including a sheave wheel (a large pulley used in ore extraction) and an actual mining machine.

“We have high hopes that thisinterpretive centre will be as great as anything else in other places where mining heritage is interpreted to the public around the world,” according to Nightingale, who wishes to share with guests some of the culture that potash mining has engendered in Saskatchewan — a culture that will keep on shaping community outlook, he hopes, for years to come.

For more information, contact:
John Nightingale
Potash Interpretive Centre Committee
(306) 745-6188

New Canaryseed Association Considers Check-Off

source: Farm and Food Report

The new Canaryseed Association of Canada is pondering the need to implement a levy, and is looking for input from growers.

Ray McVicar is helping the new organization develop, a task he willingly took on and part of his responsibilities as the Provincial Specialist for special crops at Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization.

“Currently, canaryseed is used only as birdfeed, either for wild birds or caged birds, so it is a very finite market,” McVicar says. “The demand is very stable. With Saskatchewan being the largest producer and exporter of this crop in the world, if we have a drought or low production, the price goes up, but if we have good production and oversupply, the price goes down. We don’t just want to grow more canaryseed: we would like to expand markets and do some research on plant breeding and agronomy.”

Canaryseed is almost an undomesticated crop. There are only five varieties registered, two of which were registered last year. There has not been a lot of research carried out on canaryseed: in fact, it has been almost ignored. The only plant-breeding program is in Saskatoon. It has always been funded on a small scale because the plant breeder was forward-thinking enough to add canaryseed into his workplan and applied for funding to run the project.

There are an estimated 1,200 canaryseed farmers in Saskatchewan— and around 70 members in the producers’ association. Obviously, running a research program on membership fees alone is not possible. By putting aside a small amount of money when farmers sell the product, the levy would, in effect, generate interest in the crop — “it would give more power to the grower,” according to McVicar.

Rumour has it there are three box cars of canaryseed used in New York City each day, shipped out of Saskatchewan. It is sent to the large urban centres of the world. Big buyers are New York City, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Western Europe— locations with big urban centres where caged birds are popular pets.

Canaryseed is about a $45-75 million a year crop in terms of exports for Saskatchewan. It tends to be concentrated in two main areas of the province — the West-Central area, encompassing about 40 per cent of the production, and the Regina Plain.

The Annual General Meeting takes place in Eston on the afternoon of February 10. There will be a speaker to talk about marketing, markets and prices, and a speaker on canaryseed agronomy test plots in the area last year. The plant breeder from Saskatoon will come as well to elaborate on the type of research that is needed and the level of funding that will be needed to carry it out.

This check-off issue will figure prominently on the AGM agenda. The Board will look for guidance, and surely it will manifest itself, for “Eston is the heart of canaryseed country, and that’s why the AGM will be held there,” quips McVicar.

For more information, contact:
Ray McVicar
Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization
(306) 787-4665

Short Rail Line Brings Southwest Communities Together

source: Farm and Food Report

It takes determination to raise enough capital to acquire over 300 miles of short rail line, engines and maintenance equipment, and to cover operational costs that includes the salary of 14 employees in southwestern Saskatchewan. Yet, that is precisely what a group of agricultural producers and investors have managed to do in Ponteix, Gravelbourg, Bracken, Admiral, Kincaid, Shaunavon, Eastend, Climax, Frontier, Neville, Vanguard and Lafleche when they acquired Great Western Railway Ltd. recently.

Leo Legault is a farmer and, now, a Director of the company. “In three weeks, our group of 15 raised $3.8 million. We had to deal with complex legal issues and we had much to learn. We wanted to keep all the staff because they have so much knowledge about how to run this operation. We made a formal offer to Westcan a year ago and, on November 2, 2004, it became a done deal.”

Ponteix’s Legault and his partners knew that the stakes were high. In recent years, over $18 million was invested in various grain handling infrastructures along the line. Around 40 jobs depended on this deal coming through. Had the bid been unsuccessful, the future of these new facilities would have been jeopardized.

“We were well aware that the only way to ensure that producers get a greater share of revenues from our agricultural activities would be for us to own the transportation network that links all our towns and villages in the Southwest,” Legault said.

Legault believes that everyone wins as a result of this deal — from those who hold jobs along the line, to taxpayers, governments, producers and municipalities — in savings alone.

“Our studies indicate that our rail transportation system saves $5.4 million in road maintenance costs annually. Our roads simply are not designed to sustain the kind of heavy traffic they are subjected to because of agricultural transportation needs.”

And this traffic is likely to keep on putting additional pressure on highways, as Shaunavon looks at building a $90 million ethanol plant that would require around 10 to 15 million bushels of wheat to produce 150 million litres of ethanol a year.

Conrad Johnson owns a mixed farm in Bracken. He is also the new Chair of the Board of Great Western Railway Ltd. “Look at any country in the world today — look at how closely economic development and diversification are associated with the availability of a rail transportation service. It is phenomenal and particularly relevant to the geography of the Southwest. We want our children to have a future here. We want to ensure the economic prosperity of our region for our grandchildren, and we are taking the means to do just that.”

Putting his beliefs into practice, Johnson and three partners recently acquired an old Wheat Pool elevator along the line and converted it into a state-of-the art field pea cleaning plant. His Whitewater Coulee Cleaners has processed 120 rail car loads of peas in the last two years, plus 300 cars of cereal grains. Johnson is the first to admit that his success and that of the Great Western Railway and other projects along the line now hinges on communities working more closely together than ever before.

“It is funny how, when you look back 20 to 30 years, we had these rivalries between towns in this part of the province about hockey teams, schools and all those divisive issues,” Johnson said. “Things have changed quite a bit since then. I believe we now realize that we must work together for the good of the entire area. We are all proud of what we have accomplished so far and we look forward to the future.”

As far as Leo Legault is concerned, every new day that comes breaks new ground and breeds hope for the economic outlook of the whole region.

“You know, this is the longest short line in Canada,” Legault beams with pride. “Fifty-two per cent of all the grain moved on short lines in Saskatchewan is moved on our railway. When you think of it, there is no end to what we can accomplish — just keep watching us.”

Efforts to Preserve Burrowing Owl Habitat Pays Off

When Emile and Josie Tessier of Minton joined Operation Burrowing Owl in 1987 and set aside about 40 acres of native prairie a stone’s throw away from their house, they had a feeling this was the right thing to do.

“I grew up seeing the owls around in the hills,” says Emile Tessier. “I’ll never forget the way they looked at me with eyes on a head that just about turned around 360 degrees, perched on a post or standing on the small dirt pile right by the hole where they nested. I was amazed at their adaptation to the land — from a gopher hole widened by a badger hunting gophers, these beautiful creatures made their home.”

Tessier speaks fondly of the owls, like most of the 450 Operation Burrowing Owl participants who have kept their land from cultivation, to ensure the owls have a home. For the third year in a row they have reported an increase in the number of owls nesting on their land. In 2004, 52 of them reported 95 pairs, compared to 75 pairs reported by 44 landowners in 2003.

Kim Dohms is Operation Burrowing Owl’s Project Manager. “The trend is very encouraging. It makes us think that what we’ve been doing for 17 years is having an impact on the population, and it likely reflects what is happening elsewhere in North America. Without the landowners, of course, none of this would be possible.”

About half of the participants have been with the program for at least 15 years. On average, they make about 80 acres of land available, but in some cases, as much as a full section is allocated as habitat. Operation Burrowing Owl signs are provided, if desired, and certificates of recognition are issued. However, there is no financial compensation for this commitment. Dohms is quick to point out that the land need not be taken out of production to qualify for the program.

“Producers can still use the land for grazing. It seems cattle don’t bother the owls very much. Some landowners report owls flying in the face of cattle that come to close to their nest, to chase them away. Pretty much the only agricultural activity that cannot take place is cultivating the land. Key to success is the landowners’ commitment to staying with the program for many years, even if the owls don’t come back.”

Apparently, burrowing owl populations are still a long way from what they were: 10 per cent only of 1988 population figures. Dohms tells how every April, for participants and for her, “there is always a period of anxiety over whether the owls that nested last year will be back again. For those who didn’t have owls the previous year, the question in their mind is: are they coming?”

Emile Tessier has often asked that. After a number of years without owls, two pairs settled on his land two years ago. Then last year, a big break: to his amazement, four pairs established themselves.

“A combination of factors must have made this possible. There was no spraying in surrounding areas and there was good hunting. I could see skulls of mice everywhere in the area. When the technicians came to band the birds, it was a real treat to see how they went about catching the owls right in their nest.”

Tessier believes that it is a bit of a miracle that there are any owls left at all.

“They are nocturnal animals — therefore, they hunt at night. The pasture is about 300 feet away from Highway 6. They fly low and they tend to be blinded by oncoming traffic. Nature has put cars on their evolutionary path. They must contend with that now. With a bit of luck, the owls will stick around a while longer, for the next generations to appreciate them.”