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TERRY FOX RUN, Sunday, September 18, 1:00 p.m. at Sandra Schmirler Olympic Gold Park
2011 harvest on track Warmer weather helps accelerate field operations in west-central
With the warmer temperatures last week, farmers were hard at field operations. Plus 30 Celsius temperatures and little wind, the dust was hanging around this combine last Wednesday, south of Biggar. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Saskatchewan producers have 32 per cent of the 2011 crop combined, right on track with the five-year (2006-2010) provincial average, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report for the period August 30 to September 5. Thirty-four per cent of the crop is swathed or ready to straight-cut, compared to the five-year average of 31 per cent. Rain in some areas delayed harvest work for a few days, but most producers were able to get back into the fields at the beginning of the week. Harvest progress varies across the province. The southwest has 46 per cent combined; the southeast 43 per cent; the west-central region 29 per cent; the
east-central region 27 per cent; the northeast 19 per cent and the northwest 12 per cent. Seventy-six per cent of the lentils; 81 per cent of the field peas; 91 per cent of the winter wheat; 22 per cent of the durum; 15 per cent of the spring wheat and 28 per cent of the canola have been combined. Across the province, topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as five per cent surplus, 78 per cent adequate, 16 per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 75 per cent adequate, 21 per cent short and two per cent very short. Fa r m e r s a r e b u s y harvesting, seeding winter cereals, hauling bales and controlling weeds on unseeded acres.
Saskatchewan NDP propose community access hospitals NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter and NDP Health critic Judy Junor last Wednesday outlined a proposal for Community Access Hospitals that would provide an alternative to towns that are currently facing hospital closure due to a shortage of physicians. Under the model, nurse practitioners would be able to operate the hospital working with a team of health professionals including emergency medical technicians and in collaboration with nearby and provincial physicians. Residents would be able to access emergency treatment or safe referral, transfer to larger centres or admission to the Community Access Hospital if appropriate. “Saskatchewan communities are facing difficult challenges in trying to retain physicians. In many cases they have been forced to close their hospital doors, leaving residents with no place to go in an emergency,” Lingenfelter said. “This offers a practical alternative to ensure that residents continue to have health and emergency
services where they need them and when they need them.” Over the past 15 months, Junor and fellow MLA Andy Iwanchuk, visited 60 rural communities and even more health facilities to hear directly from Saskatchewan residents about their views of the health system. “We listened to people and heard about the need to keep access to
emergency services. Many residents were asking for a different approach and in response we looked at models in Canada and in other countries,” Junor said. “The Community Access Hospital is developed from that research but provides a Saskatchewan option to address the needs of Saskatchewan people.” Junor said she would like to see some test sites
in communities that currently have had to restrict hospital services and that over time a number of steps are required to further develop
of a physician group within the Ministry of Health as well as agreements with nearby physicians to work in collaboration with nurse practitioners.
Record funding to assist producers with unseeded acres The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) has provided a record $329 million to assist producers with land they were unable to seed due to excess moisture
Cross country athletes hit the trails for new season . . . Biggar Blazing Saints coach, Blair Carruthers makes an “adjustment” to a runner last Tuesday as the club was training in the Rec Valley. Having already competed at meets in the area, the club will be holding their own home meet this September 29. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
the model. These include more accessible education and training for registered nurses interested in leading community access hospitals; the development
in 2011. This record funding was provided for 13,500 claims under the Unseeded Acreage (USA) Benefit, which was increased from $50 to $70 per eligible acre in 2011. “For the second consecutive year, excess moisture prevented many producers from seeding their land,” Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud said last Tuesday. “I am pleased the Crop Insurance Program is providing this record level of support to help producers address these challenges. I’m also very pleased that these claims have been processed by our Crop Insurance employees and the cheques delivered to farmers in such a timely manner.” Over the past two years, Crop Insurance has provided a record $551 million to producers through the USA Benefit. The 2011 Excess Moisture Program (EMP), which
was announced in August, provides an additional $30 per eligible acre for land that was too wet to seed or was seeded and then flooded out. All Saskatchewan producers are eligible for the EMP. SCIC is administering the program and will continue to process EMP claims as quickly as possible. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2011. More than $600 million has been made available under the EMP in 2010 and 2011 to help producers affected by excess moisture. Over the last four years, the Government of Saskatchewan has worked to improve the Crop Insurance Program, including providing the four largest budgets and average coverage levels in the program’s history. For further information or to register a Crop Insurance or EMP claim, producers can contact their local Crop Insurance office or call 1-888-935-0000.