Footwork . . . New Creation Community Players director, Jennifer Crane goes through some of the moves with All Shook Up cast members Griffin Lehnert and Sidney Warren, Sunday at the Majestic. The musical comedy is still on, just postponed. Go to Page 3 for the story. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Vol. 111 No. 12
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
16 pages
$1.50
????????,MARCH ?????????19, ??, 2020 ???? THURSDAY,
22 -- THE BIGGAR,SK SK THE INDEPENDENT, INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR,
What a magical, wonderful place the Jubilee Stadium was, Friday as Biggar Skating Club proved “It’s A Small World After All” with their Disney on Ice performance. The skaters put on a great show, winding up the year with the whimsical show. (Independent Photos by Kevin Brautigam)
THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 3
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
“All Shook Up” postponed, not cancelled
New Creation Community Players is sad to announce that due to the COVID-19 situation, they will be postponing this years shows that were set to run March 26-29. NCCP is not willing to take chances with the health of their audience, cast, crew and their families. At this time, NCCP are postponing the shows until May 14, 15, 16 and 17. If you have purchased a ticket for one of the March shows, you will be able to use it for the same
seat for the same day’s performance in May. For example: a Thursday, March 26 ticket will be valid for Thursday, May 14. Your original ticket will be required, as usual, for entrance to the show. NCCP will be issuing refunds to anyone who is unable to attend one of the shows, provided you turn in the old ticket. They have set a deadline of May 1 for returned tickets. Because of the logistics involved in these changes, NCCP is
asking people to please contact The Independent at (306) 948-3344 on Thursdays (all day) and Friday (mornings) so as to not interfere with their regular business. New Creation Community Players appreciate your understanding and willingness to work with them as they navigate through this difficult situation. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact NCCP directly at newcreationcommunityplayers@gmail.com.
Fair Days announces theme; sponsor The Biggar Town and Country Fair Days Planning Committee recently announced the theme for 2020 : “Around the World.” They are also proud to officially announce their 2020 Presenting Sponsor: the Biggar and District Credit Union. Several events are being confirmed for the June 12-14 weekend, including Kids Carnival, Downtown Market by Biggar and District Farmers Market, as well as another spectacular Fireworks display by D&S Fireworks. Businesses who are interested in sponsoring the weekend’s festivities
are encouraged to reach out to the committee by April 24 at 5 p.m. The committee can be reached
toms do not visit longterm care homes, clinics or hospitals. While SHA isn’t restricting visitation at this point outside of critical care areas, they are asking all family members and visitors to be diligent with all illness prevention, which includes limiting the number of visitors to loved ones in hospitals or homes. Please consider virtual visiting through electronic applications such as Facetime, Skype and WhatsApp. Hand washing/sanitization stations are available at all facility entrances and SHA requests that
anyone entering our facilities practice proper hand hygiene upon entry. While SHA understands the benefit that family and loved ones contrib-
by e-mail at biggartcfd@ gmail.com or by sending a message through their Facebook Page.
Visitor Restrictions implemented in Saskatchewan health facilities
In an effort to minimize and contain the spread of COVID-19, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is implementing visitor restrictions effective immediately for SHA-operated hospitals, clinics, community and continuing care facilities. For patients who are in critical care or high acuity units in SHA hospitals, visitors will be restricted to one at a time, unless extenuating circumstances exist. All community, foundation and other public and spiritual gatherings within any SHA-operated facility are on hold effec-
tive immediately until further notice. SHA is suspending the services provided by community volunteers who are 65 years of age or older, in nonessential service areas. They appreciate their service and dedication, and thank them for their support. However, SHA needs to ensure proper measures are taken to limit nonessential community interaction in our facilities. Nonessential volunteer service areas are determined by each individual facility. SHA acknowledges the importance of family sup-
port to both those who are healing within our hospitals and residents in long-term care homes. However, they are asking families recognize that our patients and longterm residents are higher at-risk group for illness, especially COVID-19. Please delay your visit under the following circumstances: • If you have any respiratory or gastric symptoms such as a common cold symptoms, diarrhea/ vomiting; • If you have travelled outside the province within the last 14 days or have flu-like symp-
Sing aloud . . . Ella Barber, right, goes through her number at the Majestic Theatre, Thursday, with Peggy L’Hoir, left, and Janelle Leschinski. The Performers Concert was cancelled, but the rest of the events went ahead as scheduled. See Page 9 for the full results. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
ute to the overall comfort and care of patients, these steps are being taken to keep patients safe and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at this time.
Biggar RCMP report by Cpl. Dereck Crozier, Biggar Detachment, NCO IC This past week the Biggar Detachment members responded to 50 calls for service. Once again in that mix we had more rural property crime to report, however thanks to the helpful watch of the community and reporting the suspicious activity, a few break and enters were solved and a 36-year-old male from Saskatoon has been charged. As everyone does there part to take precautions against the spread of the Covid 19 virus, the Biggar detachment would like to ensure the communities we serve that we will be here and available to provide the best service we can as things move forward through this unsure time. We continue to get direction daily from government and our commanding officers and have plans in place for business continuity. Please continue to call as
usual for any emergencies and immediate policing needs. Our members may limit contact were they can deal with some circumstances and follow-up over the phone or by e-mail. There will be no criminal record checks being completed throughout the time that other services and sporting events and gatherings remain suspended and the province continues to recommend limited personal contact were it is not necessary. The Biggar detachment will remain open, but we ask your attendance be limited to emergencies only. On an ending note, please remain diligent in community and watching over things for any suspicious activity. There may be those who might try to take advantage of the limited traffic and possible detection of criminal activity. To all, stay healthy and together we will push forward.
Opinions HAVE A NICE DAY!
4 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
Greed; idiocy at pandemic levels It’s like a Mad Max, apocalyptic nightmare. Roving hoards from the cities, some skinny kid with an “anarchy” t-shirt, strapped to the hood of a Prius, descending upon rural areas, lawlessness in their wake. All of them looking for toilet paper. I wish I was kidding, but roaming through local stores the other day, a very irate Biggarite had his dander up, all over Saskatoon shoppers pillaging local grocers as they ready for the coming apocalypse. That, or they were reselling items on social media, making toilet paper the new national currency. You just want to slap your forehead in frustration, but, apparently, we’re not suppose to touch our faces. I began laughing at his obvious distress. But then I listened to him, and he made a whole lot of sense. See, there are seniors in town. Residents who can’t travel afar. Local grocers and shops are their connection to food, medication and, yes, toilet paper. He has every right to be ticked. Now, I’ll give these city clods the benefit of the doubt. You can’t go five minutes without hearing “COVID-19”, “Self Isolate”, “Social Distancing”. Every news cast on TV, radio and newspaper, has us all looking out the window of our homes, expecting to see a burning car blast by, Walking Dead-like bands of gangs swinging barbwire-wrapped baseball bats. But, jeez, these toilet paper hoarding wingnuts . . . give your brain a chance! Filling garages with Purell, toilet paper and various cleaning products, reselling them for profit, others peddling ‘cures’ of questionable nature, still other scamming the panicked and vulnerable, it makes your blood boil. There is a special place in hell for them But they are a reality. Take a breath, for a moment, turn the TV and radio off. If you are healthy, go see someone, visit and share a laugh. And if you know of someone who is isolated, offer your help. We will get through this. K.B.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME They MUST be signed, approximately 300 words in length and are subject to editing. Thank Yous will not be permitted in letters
Coronavirus Challenges the Information Age Besides the inexplicable decision to stockpile toilet paper – an actual onemonth apocalypse-style home lockdown would have TP as the least of our worries – the coronavirus outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 known as Covid-19, is a mystery not helped by the modern information age. Like the connection paradox of the Internet, where we’ve never been more connected, yet more lonely and with fewer authentic relationships, the information age was supposed to give us everything at the blink of a cursor. But it hasn’t turned out that way. In the same way that the digital world has witnessed the breakdown of trust in institutions, decision-making and authority, Covid-19 is an example of the more information we have, the less we trust. As people dissect and process information, two unhelpful strains of thought emerge: one, we are being overhyped on coronavirus specula-
the
tion in order to frighten us into behaving certain ways or doing certain things. In this regard, sensationalistic media reporting doesn’t help. The converse argument is that we’re not being told enough about Covid19 because the horrifying truth would cause public panic and the breakdown of civil order. In other words, if we really knew “the truth” it would make a run on toilet paper look like child’s play. As usual there’s a middle ground that you’ll find it if you look. Covid19 is a zoonotic respiratory infection, meaning originally transmitted between animals and people, and is a novel virus not previously identified in humans. It can spread very quickly. America’s case numbers grew from 12 to over 1,000 in a month; China exploded with over 80,000 cases in 12 weeks. Canada has eclipsed 100 cases. The decision to declare a pandemic – which means infections
have moved across various regions - stems from the breadth of 126,000 cases and 4,600 deaths in 115 countries. Those who fear the worst point to recent posts, purportedly from an Italian trauma physician, chronicling Italian hospitals, ERs, and intensive care wards overwhelmed like some terrifying dystopian movie. It is an uncomfortable read. On the other hand, some minimize the threat by pointing to Covid-19 cases that displayed few symptoms and, though spread from close contact, were more like a brief chest cold with a fever. As a severe acute respi-
ratory syndrome that can bring on pneumonia and severe lung distress, Covid-19 has killed 3.4 per cent of infected patients and can seriously strain health care facilities. The most susceptible patients – but not all - tend to be elderly and with pre-existing high b l o o d pressure, diabetes and heart disease. T i m e John Gormley Magazine observes that the death rate ends up being much lower when a greater number of patients are tested, including mild and asymptomatic ones: “the mortality rate in South Korea, where more than 1,100 tests have
John Gormley
INDEPENDENT
Phone: 306-948-3344
Fax: 306-948-2133
Publications Mail Registrations No. 0008535 Published by THE INDEPENDENT PRINTERS LTD. and issued every Thursday at the office of publication, 122 Main Street, Biggar, Saskatchewan, S0K 0M0 Publishers - Dale and Trudy Buxton Editor - Kevin Brautigam Composition - Fallon Neugebauer
been administered per million residents, comes out to just 0.6 per cent, for example. In the U.S., where only seven tests have been administered per million residents, the mortality rate is above five per cent.” Communication is critical, as it balances public awareness and promoting positive behaviour while, at the same time, trying not to induce panic. For authoritative detail, the true professionals have so far been impressive, from Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, the reassuring and professional Dr. Theresa Tam, to her Saskatchewan counterpart, the candid and calmly understated Dr. Saqib Shahab. But even these public health experts, limited by the evolving knowledge of Covid-19, on one hand assure us that social distancing, common sense and hand washing will suffice, yet on the other hand, support quarantining people who merely ended up on the same
cruise ship as some who contracted the virus. This leads to some of the public disconnect that psychologists identify as leading to panic: conflicting messages or lack of clear direction that results in people filling in their own blanks or overreacting and overcompensating (hoarding toilet paper) to give themselves some feeling of control. There is a lot of information around. And, like so much in our data-heavy modern world, check, double check and trust the credible authorities. But verify. John Gormley is a broadcaster, lawyer, author and former Progressive Conservative MP whose radio talk show is heard weekdays from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. on 650 CKOM Saskatoon and 980 CJME Regina.
www.biggarindependent.ca
E-mail: tip@sasktel.net
P. O. Box 40 Biggar, SK S0K 0M0
COPYRIGHT The contents of The Independent are protected by copyright. Reproduction of any material herein may be made only with the written permission of the publisher. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Biggar Independent invites the public to participate in its letters to the Editor section. All letters must be signed. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 5
If I remember right (and Truly quotes the “Theory like everything else, my of Relativity”, most peomemory is going, too!) - ple just say “yeah, yeah,” . - - are the Morse Code and turn away! dashes and dots for the “Y” has its place though, letter “Y” - and because and mysterious as it may Peggy Hasein Chef Dez it wasn’t used very much seem to some, most of us anywhere else, a lot of have gotten used to seeMorse Code call signals ing it here and there! contained it! They tell While in the army signals me that school at Vimy Barracks, a l t h o u g h just this side of Kingston, it is the Ontario, we sent thou- 25th letsands of messages to each ter of our other in code, until we alphabet, thought we’d never for- it is the get it. But, if I remember 17th most right again, for all that used one. I training, I don’t think we know how ever used Morse Code it must once in action! feel! Although I’m sure that the big there are books on the shelf above a lot more my desk explain all that stuff about how the letter i n c i d e n t s “Y” came into being, and l i s t e d mebbe Y.T. should take u n d e r Peggy Hasein other lethalf a page to point out all Bob Mason those things. But as they ters, the ones under “Y” in the say on W5: “Why?” As a youngster of 4 L&T, are just as imporor 5, Y.T. could finally tant! And when Y.T. stops recite the whole alphabet to think about it a while, through, including the let- just as memorable! Some of the things Y.T. ter Y, and any folks gathhas mentioned in this colered around would gush, umn in the past, like “The “Oh, what a smart little Y in the Road” (north of boy!” But those days are the Kuster Kanal) and far past. Now some years “Yukon Slim Robinson later, even when Yours
bourly
bourly
Chef Dez on cooking
Notable Notes
Y (as in wise!)
and the Official Greeter of Ghent”, a whole bunch of things, the reader has forgotten long ago! But below are some of the unedited ones he still Chef Dez Life & Times! finds in the Y.T. is sure no great after dinner speaker by a long shot, but he does try to keep the odd story fresh in his mind just in case! O l l i e O l s o n was trying to k e e p a w a y from the police and ran into a Bob Mason h a r d w a r e store and crawled into a gunnysack lying on the floor. The police came in and looked around. “What’s in that gunnysack on the floor?” they asked. “Christmas bells,” sez the proprietor, “we always get Christmas bells in December.”
Chef Dez on cooking
Agriculture
Notable Notes
Agriculture
20033DE0 20033DE1
n sports
Penton on sports
Bruce Penton
Bruce Penton
The policeman went over and kicked the sack. “Jingle, jingle, jingle,” it went . . . Well, I saw the joke but I’m not sure about my Calvin Daniels neighScandinavian bours! Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe: Phyllis and Y.T. once lived in a big eightroom house, but over the years we had accumulated enough furniture and fixtures to fill twenty! We did put some out in the “Old Curiosity Shoppe” (as we call it), but still some of them rooms seemed pretty full! I’m not sure how many people ever looked in there, but that old cut down stable was crammed with carpets, sofas, beds and household stuff that our family had thrown out! Calvin Daniels If Charles Dicken’s “Little Nell” even looked in there, she’d take a load of that stuff out to the dump right away! Yee Eddy: There were a dozen other businesses in our hometown that Y.T. will never get around to writing about, and it isn’t so much their fault as it is his that I scrawl this little bit about him right now! As kids we always thought that “old timers” were fellows who came out from the east early on, and were a bit surprised when Dad told us that Yee had come out Kim Inglis to Radisson from China about the same time that he had arrived. Yee had chosen Eddy for a name, because it sounded a lot more Canadian than his Chinese one did. Yee was always friendly and polite, and after all these years Y.T. remembers him for having erased a lot of doubts we’d had a about Oriental people. Long ago, about 1936 or so, Jean Hickby wrote a piece for the paper entitled: “Meet Yee Eddy, genial Chinese!” I don’t think that Yee ever got to be mayor of any town, if that is important (actually I forget
Financial Advice Kim Inglis
Financial Advice
who the mayor was!), but whenever I meet someone from our old home countryside, I always ask: “Did you know Yee Eddy?” Yellowheads: There must be millions of Yellowheaded Blackbirds around, Although Y.T. doesn’t remember seeing them very much up in Great Bend. On the west edge of Perdue, there is a huge wetland close by where thousands of them nest. The Sharptailed Grouse may be Saskatchewan’s provincial bird, but as Y.T. once went to golf early in the morning he saw hundreds of them perched on the local power lines, Yellowheads are a close second! Yukon: When we were young, one of mothers visiting uncles thrilled us with his stories of the Klondike Gold Rush, and of course it didn’t take long for us enthusiastic kids to look on the map of Canada and find that Klondike Creek was way up north in the mysterious Yukon. Uncle Dave told us many stories of sleeping out in the snow of the Chilkoot Pass, of Soapy Smith in Dawson City, and a whole bunch of adventures he’d had. Later, we got so that we could recite “The Kill-
ing of Dan McGrew”, “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, “The Man from Eldorado” and whole bunch of Yukon poems. A lot of our relations live up there now, and sometimes, God willing! we’re going to go up there and see if they’ve ever heard of Robert Service! Y.M.C.A.: One can’t write enough about the “Y’. They must be in a thousand places because Y.T remembers turning to them many times in the past. During the war when we were on leave and all the rooms were taken, we slept on the floor of the Y.M.C.A. in Winnipeg. Many of Y.T.’s letters home at that time were written on Y.M.C.A. paper, supplied in their huts on almost every army camp. And the other services they supplied made our dull lives almost livable! A fellow could keep on and on I guess, drumming up little thoughts about the letter “Y”. Somewhere in Europe we even crossed a river named Wye and all over that old country were little places starting with the letter. Heck, Xanter even started with an X! But I imagine all we’ll do is leave this little conundrum. Take 30, eh? 20033KK0 20033KK1
NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT ROLL RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF PERDUE NO. Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the Rural Municipality of Perdue No. 346 for the year 2020 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office of the assessor from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the following days: Monday to Friday, except all public holidays. A Bylaw pursuant to section 214 of The Municipality Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required. Any person who wishes to appeal against his or her assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal with: The Assessor, Rural Municipality of Perdue No. 346, Box 208, Perdue, Saskatchewan, S0K 3C0, by the 20th day of April, 2020. Dated this 19th day of March, 2020. Allan Kirzinger, Assessor
Hello Allan; This is what will be in the paper for the March 19 publication. Price is at $85.50 plus gst which is down a little from last year.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
6 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
Chef Dez on cooking How to make soup without a recipe
A very common question I get asked is “how to make a good soup from scratch without following a recipe?” Now, there are many types of soups, and endless ways to prepare them, but for the focus of this column entry I am going to concentrate on the common broth type soups. Start with a soup pot and heat it slightly over medium heat. Add a little bit of cooking oil of your choice, and then chopped mirepoix: a flavour based combination of onions, carrots and celery. The basic ratio to follow is two parts onion, one part carrot, one part celery. Rough chop them if you want a
chunkier soup; or finely dice them; or anywhere in between. Always add some finely minced garlic to your mirepoix. Add a sprinkling of salt and pepper, then stir, cover, and cook for two to three minutes until the vegetables become slightly tender. If you want to add dry herbs (or fresh w o o d y t y p e herbs, like rosemary) add them to the mirepoix before this cooking process. Fresh delicate herbs, like parsley, basil, oregano, should Chef Dez be added literally at the end of the complete cooking process of the soup, 30 seconds to one minute before serving. Dry herbs and woody
Chef Dez on cooking
fresh herbs need this example would be adding jumpstart in the cooking beef broth and some red process, whereas delicate wine, or dark beer, for a herbs need just a gentle beef-based soup. heating through to release After reaching the boiltheir essential oils. ing point, bring your Now is the time to start soup down to a simmer steering the soup in the and cook until the ingredirection you want to go, dients have reached the by adding some distinct desired consistency you flavouring Ingredients want. Obviously chunkier such as specific vegeta- or starchier vegetables bles, meats, hot peppers, would require a longer etc. For example, if I simmering time, as well wanted to make a Mexi- as bigger chunks of meat can chicken type soup, I if used. would add some bell pepBefore this simmering pers, hot peppers, and point however, you may some cooked chicken. want to add a filler type Other types of vegetable ingredient to the boiling variations that come to liquid such as diced potamind that you would add toes, pasta shapes, rice, at this point are toma- barley, et cetera. Now toes, mushrooms, et cet- the simmering time will era. Now cook a couple be dependent on these minutes more. ingredients being tender Next: add a compliment- as well. Please keep in ing broth/liquid and bring mind to keep the volume to a boil. Going back to of these filler ingredients my Mexican chicken type less than you first think soup example, I would as they tend to absorb a obviously add chicken lot of the liquid. broth. One could also1/4 do Page At the end of the sima combination of broth mering, turn off the heat and some wine too for a and season to taste with different flavour. Another salt, pepper, and if acidic ingredients (like tomatoes for example) were added, then a bit of sugar too. Any kind of sweetness will do actually, and this will balance the acidity of the soup and make it more enjoyable on your palate. Lastly, one optional step: if you want your soup thickened, then dissolve 10th Street) a bit of cornstarch with some more broth and stir into the soup. Now bring it back to a boil to achieve the full thickening power of the cornstarch.
The only thing you have colour so it stands out. Cooking from scratch is left to do is garnish and enjoy. Why garnish? It not only enjoyable, when is an opportunity to add you do it well, but it is a splash of colour, and also an expression of your complimenting flavour tastes and personality. to the dish. I like add- Remember however, that ing an herb sprig for my practice makes perfect: guests to plunge into the the more you do it, the soup to release a burst of better you will get. Happy essential oils, and then at cooking... the end the sprig is sim- Chef Dez is a Chef, Writply discarded. However, er and Host. Visit him this garnish be anything at chefdez.com. Write to dez@chefdez.com you want, as long as it him at Biggar - Sask Valley 2674, Abbotsford, 1.) compliments in fla- or Box Constituency Office 3rd V2T Ave. 6R4. West, Box 1413 B.C., vour, and 2.) contrasts in 106-
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Jim Reiter, MLA
Toll Free: 1-877-948-4880 Rosetown-Elrose Constituency Phone: 215 Main1-306-948-4880 Street, Rosetown Fax:– Friday, 1-306-948-4882 Monday 9:00 – 5:00 Tel: 306-882-4105 Fax: 306-882-4108 Toll free; 1-855-762-2233 E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0 Please call with questions or concerns
Jim Reiter, MLA
Rosetown-Elrose Constituency 215 Main Street, Rosetown Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00 Tel: 306-882-4105 Fax: 306-882-4108 Toll free; 1-855-762-2233 E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0 Please call with questions or concerns
20012JJ0
Dance to the Music of “The Band Wagon” --Gun Raffle --Silent Auction --50/50 Draw --Pyramid Raffle ECWF Membership Photo Contest Two Categories Wildlife and Scenery Prints accepted that evening for judging (format 8x10 color or black/white, no trail cams, no humans, no hunting photos, wildlife in natural state)
Contact Shelly Sarvas (306)668-4959 or Karen Duguid (306)329-4766 for Banquet & Pre-Sale Gun Raffle Tickets (7mm-08 Browning A-Bolt 3 Hunter with scope, sling, case & 1 box of ammo) Membership Information contact: Carlene Sarvas (306)220-2737 … Need to Re-certify? … need your First Aid Course certification? … Don’t have time to leave work or tie-up your weekend!
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THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 7
Agriculture COVID-19 impact on ag
by Calvin Daniels Klemmer too, of course If there has ever been mentioned that the World any doubt that the mar- Health Organization had ketplace for agriculture just labeled COVID-19 products can a panchange overdemic. He night it has also noted certainly been how the reaffirmed National over the last Basketball week or 10 Association days. was talking On March about the 11, the FCC potential Young Farmer of playSummit was ing games held in Yorkin empty ton, where arenas as a Craig Klemsafety meamer, Principal sure. Calvin Daniels Agricultural Within Economist at hours the Farm Credi m p a c t it Canada, gave some Klemmer might have insights into what he saw imagined were about as in terms of the ag mar- out-dated as the horsekets, which he admitted drawn plow. were volatile based on a The NBA had put its number of factors. season on hold, which That day COVID-19 was was followed quickly of course on the minds by the National Hockof people, the event host ey League and virtually suggesting people not every other professional shake hands as a precau- sport in Canada and the tion. United States.
Agriculture
Then came junior and minor hockey seasons shut down for the season in Canada. And, around the world most sport venues had turned off their lights in the face of concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Sports of course are just a very visible example of the efforts being made to curb the spread of the disease. Travel has been restricted, schools closed, larger gatherings banned, bars and theatres told to close, all moves from various jurisdictions in response to the continued spread. How will this all play out for agriculture? That is yet to be determined for these are quite clearly unprecedented circumstances, but it will mean volatility. Still, in the end through any large scale disaster a constant is a need for food. There will be pressures on the system to safeguard against COVID-19, 2033MM1
but food will need to flow from the farm gate to the people, and that will be a focus one hopes not just here, but around the world moving forward. The current situation is of course uncharted for
But, we can expect farmers in the field within a few weeks, and ranchers tending to their calves, as they always have, growing the food that we will need through and post COVID-19.
Lenten Lunch Line . . . Norm Tebb, right, dishes up with a little help from Cassandra Raschke, Friday at the Biggar Ministerial’s Lenten Lunch. Given the current COVID-19 situation, the Friday Lenten lunches have been cancelled. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Arcade switches toys in claw machine for sanitizers
Unfortunately, Swami Chakrapani Maharaj’s cure for the coronavirus doesn’t seem to be working, but maybe this can help. An arcade puts toilet paper, soap and hand sanitizer into their claw machines. The owner of an arcade in England, Rob Braddick, decided that with the coronavirus outbreak it would be funny to put sanitary products in the claw machines. Rob Braddick was struck with the inspiration when toilet paper started going low at his local store. As the owner of Devon’s Ho! Barts Amusement Arcade, he swapped out the toys that fill the claw machines with the toilet paper and hand sanitizer. “We also have a large machine that used to have a Spider-Man doll, but now there is a large Curex soap in there and that’s the Rolls-Royce of hand sanitizer,” Braddick said according to Fox News . “We test it, it’s possible to win them but it is hard. We’ve had people coming in to have a go but I don’t think anyone has won yet. It’s been a bit quiet so far but I think people will In Biggar - Dale Buxton 306-951-7700
most of us, although I suspect it is not so unlike some of the pressures faced by people in the 1930s and post the great wars in terms of uncertainty, and fear that many of us feel.
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start coming in to have a look. There are still some toilet rolls on the shelves around here so I guess people aren’t that desperate yet.” The arcade employees are following a strict handwashing schedule in hopes of keeping the virus at bay.
“We’ve put in measures where people have to wash their hands every half hour. So far the effect of the outbreak is unclear, but it’s early days and things could get worse,” Braddick said. “This is a fun way to get the stuff that is harder to get at stores.”
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THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Carbon costing review confirms huge loss to farm income The Agricultural Producers Association of
Saskatchewan (APAS) has released updated
estimates on the financial impacts of the federal
Can you spot the person Surprise, who has hearing loss? They All Do!
Do you have hearing loss?
40% of adult canadians have hearing loss (CHMS 2012-2015)
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Do you feel people are mumbling? Do you turn up the television? Do you have ringing in your ears?
4 5 6
Do you experience difficulty hearing in a crowd? Do you ask friends or family to repeat themselves? Is it hard to hear someone from a different room?
Risks associated with hearing loss: fatigue, tension, stress and depression avoidance or withdrawal from social situations Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks Diminished psychological and overall health
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carbon tax on Saskatchewan producers. “Federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau has asked the agriculture industry for evidence of what the carbon tax is costing Canadian farmers,� says APAS President Todd Lewis, who farms near Gray. “We’ve responded with estimates that are backed up by producer bills in 2019.� APAS’s costing review takes into consideration all major farm expenses not currently exempt from the carbon tax. These include grain drying, rail transportation, heating and electricity, and truck hauling of crops off the farm. The evidence is stark: on average, Saskatchewan farmers can expect to lose eight per cent of their total net income in 2020 to the carbon tax. For a household managing a 5,000-acre grain
farm in Saskatchewan, this will take the form of a $8,000-10,000 bill. In less than two years, when the carbon tax increases to $50/tonne in 2022, this bill will go up to $13,000-17,000 for the same household - the equivalent of a 12 per cent decrease in net income. “It’s comparable to having 12 per cent% of your pay cheque disappear,� says Lewis. “Farmers don’t set our prices, so those increased costs are coming directly off our bottom line.� “APAS’s numbers reflect my personal experience down to the penny,� says APAS Vice-President Bill Prybylski, who farms with his son, brother, and nephews near Willowbrook. “This past year was unprecedented in terms of the role grain drying played for farmers in our province. Without using propane to dry our grain, the wet fall would
have meant losing a huge portion of our crop.� Rail transportation is another huge and unavoidable taxable expense incurred by farmers. “Trucking my crop to the grain elevator, and then shipping it by rail to the coast is one of my biggest annual expenses,� says APAS Vice-President Ian Boxall, who farms at his century farm near Tisdale. “Transporting crops is a necessary farm expense, but for some reason it’s not exempt from the carbon tax.� APAS is advocating, on behalf of Saskatchewan farmers, for a carbon tax exemption on all farm expenses, including those from 2019. “Our hope is that this is the evidence the Minister is looking for,� says Lewis, “and that the Federal Government will step in to help farmers.�
Asquith Town Council held its March regular council meeting on Wednesday, March 11. Attending were Mayor Gail Erhart, Councillors, Sue Sawicki, Dylan Claypool, Jeff Eide, Harold Edwards, and Ted Goodnough. Also attending was CAO Kathy Picketts and Foreman Darren Kraft. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. A motion was made to accept the February 12, regular council meeting minutes as presented. Council made a motion to accept the February 2020 financial statements and February 2020 bank reconciliations as presented to them at the meeting. Accounts Paid in the amount of $27,547.24 and Accounts Payable of $13,989.36 were accepted as presented. Daryl Jorgenson was appointed to the Asquith Recreation Board as their representative for 2020. Canadian Heritage awarded the Town of Asquith a grant in the amount of $1,100. for the Canada Day Celebration for 2020. The Town of Asquith will once again be supporting the Royal Canadian Legion by purchasing an advertisement in their next edition of their Military Service Recognition Book.
The Asquith Fire Department and the Asquith First Responders will once again be holding their Annual Pig Roast in June. Keep in mind that donations for the Silent Auction are very welcome! A Show and Shine, that is growing every year, will also be held during this event! It is so very important that all of us in our community support our very important emergence services and all of their endeavors! Asquith Town Council resolved to pay for the security for the Street Dance to be held the evening of the Pig Roast, on June 6, 2020. A community event license was issued as well to the Asquith Fire Department for holding a beer gardens at the event. To accommodate the Street Dance, Asquith Town Council is allowing the closure of the 400 block of Main Street for the day and is also extending The Noise Bylaw to 12 a.m. A Spring Clothing Swap will be held on March 29 at the Asquith Senior’s Centre (a.k.a. New Horizon’s). More information regarding this event will follow. The Asquith Town Council decided to hold Spring Waste Clean Up Days on May 23 and May 24, and is open only to the residents of the Town
of Asquith. These days allow residents to dispose of large refuse in bins and to dispose of metal items in a recycle bin. More information will be made available to the public closer to the actual date of the event. The Town Council has also set the days that residents within the Town of Asquith can dispose of “clean waste� such as tree branches, unpainted and untreated wood, leaves, gardens, refuse, etc. The disposal area will be at the old Asquith Landfill site and will be supervised. A notice with the dates will be sent out in the March utility billings and it is suggested that individuals keep the notice for future reference. If you are an individual in town who does not pay utility bills (i.e. you live in the trailer court or your landlord pays the utilities) please stop at the Town Office to receive a printout of the dates, rules, and regulations of “Clean Waste Days�. Spring is here and of course with spring comes issues of water and drainage. It is suggested that all residents ensure that there are no ice dams on their roof tops and that their eavestroughs are working correctly and that they are pointed away from the foundation of the home.
Asquith Council News For March, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 9
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
2020 Biggar Music Festival scholarships and awards Instrumental: 1.) Biggar Music Festival Association Trophy and $50 Main Street Market Scholarship – Best Brass: Denise Ferre and Hailey Baroni. 2.) Biggar & District Music Festival Trophy and H&R Block $50 Scholarship - Best Woodwind: Madeline Ellard. 3.) Festival Association Plaque and BMFA $50 Scholarship – Best Percussion: BCS2000 Thunder. 4.) Festival Association Plaque and H&R Block $50 Scholarship- Best Strings: Valeria Sanchez. 5.) SMFA Centennial award of $25 merit in performance of Saskatchewan Music: Daniele Demanenko. 6.) Carl and Trish Nicholls $75 Scholarship – Excellence in Performance: Valeria Sanchez. 7.) BCS2000 SCC $50 Scholarship: Madeline Ellard and Griffin Lehnert. 8.) Festival Association Band Plaque and Biggar & District Credit Union $100 Scholarship: BCS2000 Senior Band. 9.) Festival Association Silver Medals for honorable mention: Olivia Pynch, Taylor Singer, Sophie Swindler. 10.) Biggar and District Arts Council Stars for Saskatchewan Series Tickets, honorable mention dedicated band students: Kalaen Dhil-Stevenot, Nevaeh Dhil-Stevenot, Jordan Painchaud. 11.) Instrumental stu-
dent receiving recommendation to attend Provincial Competition: Madeline Ellard. Vocal: 1.) Biggar Pharmasave Trophy and $100 Scholarship: Seamus Walker. 2.) Meszaros Chiropractic, sponsoring two $50 Scholarships, (one to choral speech, one to ensemble): BCS 2000 Grade 1 (choral speech); Kids Jam. (Ensemble). 3.) Biggar & District Credit Union $100 Scholarship: BCS 2000 Grade 3. 4.) Biggar Shop Easy Foods $100 Scholarship: Anara and Willow Hoppe. 5.) deHaan Trophy and $50 Scholarship : Reid Silvernagle. 6.) Biggar and District Ministerial Association $100 Scholarship, 12 and under: Reid Silvernagle and Willow Hoppe. 7.) Biggar and District Ministerial Association $100 Scholarship, 13 and over: Ava Barber. 8.) Spirit of Broadway Plaque and one or two $50 scholarships (sponsored by Dale and Sherry Martin) - Solo or Duet: Abigail Dowson and Malia Hadden. 6.) Anonymous donation of a $50 Scholarship – Most Promising Student Accompanist in Vocal section: Kolby Zagoruy. 7.) St. Gabriel Catholic School Community Council $50 Scholarship: St. Gabriel School Grade 1. 8.) New Creation Community Players $50
Scholarship – Musical Theatre: Jonathan Crane. 9.) Trish and Carl Nicholls $50 Scholarship – Individual Verse: Griffin Lehnert. 10.) Anonymous $50 Scholarship: Reid Silvernagle. 11.) St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church $50 scholarship: Ella Barber. 12.) SMFA $25 Centennial Award for Saskatchewan Music: Griffin Lehnert. 13.) Music Festival Association Silver Medals for honorable mention: Jaxon Leschinski, Kalaen Dhil-Stevenot, Christopher Stephens. 14.) Biggar & District Arts Council Stars for Saskatchewan Series Tickets: Michael Gillarado, Caledonia Donahue, Keeley McBee. 15.) Vocal student receiving recommendation to attend Provincial Competition: Griffin Lehnert. Junior Piano: 1.) Carl and Trish Nicholls $75 Scholarship – 9 years and under: Jonathan Crane. 2.) Westwinds Motor Hotel and CWL $50 Scholarship: Not awarded-no entries. 3.) Main Street Market $50 Scholarship: Kera Savostianik. 4.) Meszaros Chiropractic $25 Scholarship: Kera Savostianik. 5.) Anonymous $50 Scholarship: Reid Silvernagle. 6.) Independent Printers $25 Scholarship: Charlotte Heuchert.
7.) Festival Association Silver Medals: Brieann Singer, Seamus Winsor, Ethan Hyland. 8.) Biggar & District Arts Council Stars for Saskatchewan Series Tickets: Ella Barber, Kyra Sittler, Dausha Ilyasov. Intermediate Piano: 1.) Festival Association Gold Medal, 16 years and under: Kolby Zagoruy. 2.) Christina Paul Memorial $50 Scholarship: Kalaen Dhil-Stevenot. 3.) Wallis Memorial $100 Scholarship: Emily Rempel. 4.) Linda Belak $50 Scholarship: Nelson Heuchert. 5.) Meszaros Chiropractic $50 Scholarship: Kolby Zagoruy. 6.) Combined $50 Charlie deBussac Memorial Scholarship and Knights
of Columbus $50 Scholarship: Kolby Zagoruy and Minjun Kim. 7.) Intermediate piano students receiving recommendation to attend Provincial Competition: Kolby Zagoruy, Minjun Kim. Piano – Open 1.) A.G. Davidson Award and Jackie and Brent Zagoruy $100 Scholarship: Minjun Kim. 2.) deMoissac Jeweller’s Trophy and Molberg $50 Scholarship: Caledonia Donahue. 3.) Molberg $50 Scholarship: Kolby Zagoruy. 4.) St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church $50 Scholarship: Korina Medancic. 5.) SMFA Centennial Award of $25 for Saskatchewan Music: Minjun Kim. General – Open
1.) Louise Soullet Hawkins $75 Scholarship and the Louise Back Trophy: Kolby Zagoruy. 2.) Buckberger, Baerg & Partners $50 Scholarship: Tyra Suter. 3.) Katja Meszaros Memorial $50 Scholarship: Taylor Singer. Rose Bowl winners Instrumental Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 Tom Meszaros Memorial Award: Madeline Ellard. Vocal Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 Biggar & District Credit Union Scholarship: Griffin Lehnert. Piano Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 H &R Block Scholarship: Kolby Zagoruy.
300 Fisher Air Cadet Sponsorship Committee PRESENTS:
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PRIZES for INDIVIDUAL & GROUP COSTUMES
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TABLE OF 8 ONLY $280
ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID, NEVER A BRIDE March 21, 2020 LADIES NIGHT
Cocktails 5:00pm
Supper 6:00pm
Entertainment 7:00 Dance to Follow
BIGGAR COMMUNITY HALL Dig out that old bridesmaid dress, Grad or Wedding dress and join us for a night of food, fun and dancing!
KARAOKE
COMEDIAN JOEL JEFFERIES & DJ ECLECTIC BEATS
men welcome after 9:30pm
Silent Auction, SELFIE BOOTH, & Drink Specials Midnight Lunch
Tickets available at Pharmasave and The Independent
Thank You to Our Sponsors: Platinum Sponsor: RBC Silver Sponsor : New U Fitness/Beautiful U Enterprises and The Biggar Independent Bronze Sponsor :Pharmasave Impact Energy Services Western Sales Boortmalt
Griffin Lehnert was the Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 Biggar & District Credit Union Scholarship.
Madeline Ellard was the Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 Tom Meszaros Memorial Award.
TICKETS AVAILABLE WEASIE’S COFFEE THE INDEPENDENT
Kolby Zagoruy was the Music Festival Association Rose Bowl and $200 H &R Block Scholarship.
Biggar Credit Union H & R Block Biggar & Landis Insurance Busse Law Office Mainstreet Market E-Kay Enterprises Ltd. FRIENDS: Integra Tire Nevada’s Cutting Room Ace Hardware Shop Easy Pizzaria Adria Biggar Weightloss APA Biggar Bowl Carters Plumbing deMoissac Jewellers Jen’s Silver Icing KRF Auto Leslie’s Drugs Viterra Western Wireless Sasktel Centre Clip & Climb Saskatoon Regal Motors Your Soul Biggar Golf Club Rosetown Co-Op AGI Jennifer Jirika Sheila & Ernest Itterman Rack Petroleum
(Submitted Photos)
CHASE THE ACE NEXT DRAW FRIDAY MARCH 27 $2402.30 + 30% of TICKET SALES
Printed and Designed by The Biggar Independent
10-THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
1918 Pandemic on the farms in Saskatchewan by Delta Fay Cruickshank for the Biggar Museum and Gallery The Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 was brought home to Biggar by the soldiers returning home from the end of the First World War. This virus killed more people worldwide in less than two years than the war did in five. It was estimated that 20 million people died from this flu whilst 17 million people were killed during the war. What really hampered the prevention of the spread of this disease was the gag notice the governments put on the press releasing the news of the outbreak of this disease. It started in the north of the Western Front, but the British government did not report it immediately as to “not lower morale�. The reason why it was called the Spanish Flu was because the Spanish newspapers were the first to report it! From the back page of the Independent paper November 1918 was a small article “Influenza claims five more victims�. Mrs. Horace Burgess and infant, Hugh Fullerton who was employed by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad, leaving a wife and four children, Percy Watt a 29-year-old farmer, Mrs. Jack Hughes 42 and Mrs. Milton Heather. Pte. Percy Talbot from Oban died in his barracks in Calgary. The article went on to say that the “The dread disease is slowly waning, and conditions have much improved thus the ban on Pool Rooms and Church has been lifted.� We find the world again in the grip of a disease that spreads like wildfire. There appears to be more action on the part of the government to take measures to prevent transmission of the virus then there was in 1918. Plus, we all have access to immediate hot water, soap is available and affordable . . . plus did they even have toilet paper in 1918? Plus, COVID 19 doesn’t seem to be killing at the rate of Spanish Flu. Is it because of the advancements of medical procedures, or that we are just healthier now? Most of the people then were quite a bit smaller
than most of us now, as seating in the 1911 theatre seats in the museum’s theatre exhibit attest to. Are you eating better, or just more? How did all this affect agriculture in Saskatchewan at this time. Few men around to have been there to seed, and harvest, and then the men and women who were able to plant and harvest were dropping from the flu!! An article on the front page of the June 6, 1918 Independent proclaims that the wheat crop would be better than the 1917 crop. There are ads declaring that the war effort is demanding more hogs, encouraging farmers to take up hog production to help the shortage. There was a dairy here in Biggar, Marcroft Bros ran it. They produced butter and cream and delivered milk door to door. Seems that the people who were left behind to take care of the crops and stock just worked twice as hard until the soldiers came back from war, and those who survived the Spanish flu. There is an article in the September 5, 1918 paper that was headlined “Women on the Land:�hundreds of thousands of girls and women are on the farms hard at work all year . . . their day is never ended, milking, feeding poultry and pigs, egg gathering . . . Their chores are innumerable in addition to the house-
Advertising doesn’t cost . . . it pays!
hold chores. At harvest time they have the additional burden of feeding the harvest hands.� The article goes on to declare that “Town girls� could help the war service by volunteering in the farms. “Helping the farmer’s wife this year is just as important as any other war work that a woman could take up.� So, it seems, the men and women of Saskatchewan will continue to work together and to work their socks off to carry on during a pandemic and the crops will get out!
DEADLINE MONDAY 5 P.M
SERVICE, REPAIR & TIRES. Warranty Aproved Maintenance Centre Certified SGI Inspection Station Shuttle Service
306.948.2298
103 Highway 14 East, BIGGAR oktire.com
It pays to belong!
Biggar & District Credit Union Board of Directors has declared a 5% dividend for 2019. That’s $427,234 that will be paid back to our members! KĆľĆŒ Ä?ŽžžƾŜĹ?Ć&#x;ÄžĆ? Ä?ĞŜĞĎƚ Ä¨ĆŒĹ˝Ĺľ ƚŚĞ Ć?ĆľÄ?Ä?ÄžĆ?Ć? ŽĨ ƚŚĞ Ä?ĆŒÄžÄšĹ?Ćš ƾŜĹ?Ĺ˝ĹśÍ˜ Last year, Biggar, Landis and Perdue areas received almost $125,000 in support from the Biggar & District Credit Union.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK. - 11
OBITUARIES
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
LISA IRELAND
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our cherished daughter, sister and mother, Lisa Louise Ireland, who passed away peacefully with her family by her side on March 7, 2020 Lisa was born at St.Margarets Hospital on September 24, 1972 in Biggar, Sask. The true loves of Lisa’s life were her children Kody Rowlett, Coy & Shayla McPhee & her granddaughter Emersyn. They were her everything. Lisa’s schooling included Howard Powell, Rosetown and Biggar. Genuine caring and her outgoing nature was the foundation for her work at Confederation Chiropractic Clinic, Conlom Eye Institute and City Hospital Eye Centre. her work families brought her much joy.Lisa’s relatives and friends took great joy from her quick wit, jokes and all around love for them all. She was quick to say “Never regret anything that makes you smile” To all those who shared their love and life with Lisa and her family, we sincerely thank you. “Her wings were ready.... Our hearts were not.” Paulette IrelandHegland & Families 12p1
CARD OF THANKS A huge thank you to Dr.Khella & Dr.Crane for their kind and compassionate care of Lisa. To Biggar Homecare, Anel, and all the nurses at Biggar Union Hospital who were so diligent & caring in their treatment of Lisa. To everyone who sent meals, flowers & cards thank you they were much appreciated. Paulette IrelandHegland & Families.
Fridays starting March 6, last
five Fridays in Lent, interdenominational Lent services, 12:05p.m. followed by lunch at Biggar New Horizons. Sponsored by Biggar and District
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The Cadet Sponsorship Committee presents: Always 0 a
02 a Bridesmaid, Never ,2 Bride. Ladies Night y 30 March 21, 2020 at the l Ma Town Hall. ti Supper at 6:00pm then un d e Comedian Joel Jefferon ies ostp and DJ Ecletic are sure P to entertain, dance to follow. Tickets $40 advanced $280
Biggar & District Arts Council regret to announce the postponement of Christine Tassan Et Les Imposteure on April 4 Two Year Old Black Angus Bull Sale March 20, 2020. Wawota, SK. 306577-9141. www.gbtangus.com CALL FOR VENDORS - FortQu'Appelle Trade Show & Sale. April 18-19, 2020. FortQu‚'Appelle RecCentre. Contact Tammy at 1-844-GNG-NEWS (ext. 222) or email accounts@grasslandsnews.ca, webpage www.forttradeshow.com
DRAGGINS CAR SHOW - April
10 and 11 at Prairieland Park, Saskatoon. Headlining the Chicago Muscle Car Show winner. Draggins Rod &
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Heavy Duty Mechanics and Dozer Operators and 1A Drivers Required Late model, clean CAT, JD equip winch. dump, gravel trucks and trailers. Both camp and shop locations; R & B provided. Wage negotiable. Clean drivers abstract a must Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sask. S0E 0A0 Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@xplornet. ca www.brydenconstructionandtransport.ca
Currently accepting applications for CROP HAIL ADJUSTERS for the 2020 hail season. (July - October) Semi-retired or retired this job is for you! Competitive salary, all expenses & mileage paid, health spending account and pension plan. We provide extensive training using our industry leading crop hail adjusting program. Email: dtiefenbach@smhi.ca for application form and job overview. 306-569-1852 ext 170.
PEDIGREED SEED FOR SPRING
2020
LENTILS: -CDC Impulse CL (red) DURUM: -AAC Stronghold New -CDC Proclaim CL (red) -CDC Precision -CDC Lima CL (lg.green) New -CDC Greenstar (lg.green) WHEAT: -AAC Alida VB New -CDC Peridot CL (french green) -AAC Brandon -CDC Marble (french green) -Carberry FLAX: -CDC Sorrel -CDC Bright CANARY SEED - CDC Bastia
NAKONECHNY SEEDS RUTHILDA, SASK. (306) 932-4409
annual musical production of "All Shook Up", THURSDAY, MARCH 26, FRIDAY, MARCH 27, SATURDAY, MARCH 28: 8:00 p.m.; 6 and ,1 15 SUNDAY, MARCH 29: , 14 y 2:00 p.m.: Ma 0 Reserved seating til 02 n 2 tickets on ed u 17, sale Monday, tpon & February 3 at s The Biggar IndepenPo dent, phone 306-9483344, $25/person, Visa/ Mastercard accepted. All Shook
Biggar Town Office. The report of the auditor will be presented and remarks from the Board of Directors. All interested persons are invited to attend. 10c3
is now accepting applications for the following Public Works Seasonal positions. 1) Public Works Seasonal Staff * Must have valid driver’s license Deadline for all resumes:April 2, 2020 Apply To: Town of Biggar P.O. Box 489 Biggar, Sk. S0K 0M0 Fax:(306)948-5134 Email: publicworks@townofbiggar.com The Town fo Biggar wishes to thank all prospective candidates; however only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
PEAS: -CDC Forest (green) New -CDC Lewochko (yellow) New
New Creation Community Players of Biggar presents their
Monday March 25..... The Annual Meeting of the Biggar and District Community Foundation, 5:30pm at the
TOWN OF BIGGAR
WHERE QUALITY COMES FIRST!!
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Do it from the comfort of your home... ONLINE!! $120 for Certified Red Cross Course done on YOUR TIME!
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Call Dale Buxton for more information
SAFETY SERVICES
Biggar, SK
306-951-7700
dale@dtjssb.ca
Independent Classifieds
12 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
FOR RENT
For sale by tender
102, 2nd Avenue West, Landis, SK ĎϏϹϲ Ć?Ć‹ĆľÄ‚ĆŒÄž ĨĞĞƚ͕ Ďą Ä?ÄžÄšĆŒĹ˝Ĺ˝ĹľĆ?Í• ĎŽ Ä?ĂƚŚĆ?Í• Ä?ĆľĹ?ĹŻĆš ĎϾϲϹ͕ Ć?Ĺ?ĹśĹ?ĹŻÄž Ĺ?Ä‚ĆŒÄ‚Ĺ?Äž Ĺ?Ĺś Ä?Ä‚Ä?ĹŹ
Sealed tenders must be received 3:00 PM March 31, 2020 &Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ĺ?ĹśÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒĹľÄ‚Ć&#x;ŽŜ ĂŜĚ Ç€Ĺ?ÄžÇ Ĺ?ĹśĹ? Ä?ŽŜƚĂÄ?ƚ͗ /Ä‚Ĺś ,Ä‚Ç ĹŹĹ?ĹśĆ?Í— ϯϏϲͲϲϹϴͲώĎϹϴ Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ĺ?Ä‚ĹśÍ˜ĹšÄ‚Ç ĹŹĹ?ĹśĆ?ΛÄ?Ĺ?Ĺ?Ĺ?Ä‚ĆŒÄ?ĆľÍ˜Ä?Ä‚ Ĺ˝ĆŒ ĚĂž :ŽŚÄ?Í— ϯϏϲͲϾϰϴͲϯϯϹώ Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ä‚ÄšÄ‚ĹľÍ˜ĹŠĹ˝ĹšÄ?ΛÄ?Ĺ?Ĺ?Ĺ?Ä‚ĆŒÄ?ĆľÍ˜Ä?Ä‚
Apartment for seniors at Central Park Place in Biggar available immediately; call 306948-5626 46tfn Charter/ Sherwood Apartments in BIGGAR 1 or 2 Bedroom, Heat and water supplied, wired for cable TV and satellite systems, laundry facilities, appliances, some suites with dishwashers, air conditioning, parking with plug-ins. For more information call: Risa Management at 306-665-2300 or Andre at 306-831-4430
BIGGAR ASSOCIATED GOSPEL CHURCH 312 - 8th Ave.W. and corner of Quebec St., Biggar
Sunday Worship • 10:50 a.m. Children’s Sunday School during service Pastor Doug Motz, Church ofďŹ ce phone, 306-948-3424
BIGGAR UNITED CHURCH 907 Quebec St./corner Turnbull Ave., L Biggar
L NTI E U 4VOEBZ 8PSTIJQ 4FSWJDF t B N IC ED ON NOT P T OS 'T&--084)*1 HER REFRE4).&/54P "/% "'5&3 4&37*$& R U F INQUIRIES CALL CHURCH OFFICE 306-948-2280 LEAVE MESSAGE
WůĞĂĆ?Äž Ć?ĞŜĚ ĆšÄžĹśÄšÄžĆŒĆ? ƚŽ Ždž ϲϳϏ͕ Ĺ?Ĺ?Ĺ?Ä‚ĆŒÍ• ^< ^ĎŹ< ĎŹDĎŹ ,Ĺ?Ĺ?ŚĞĆ?Ćš Ĺ˝ĆŒ ĹŻĹ˝Ç ÄžĆ?Ćš ĆšÄžĹśÄšÄžĆŒ Ç Ĺ?ĹŻĹŻ ŜŽƚ ŜĞÄ?ÄžĆ?Ć?Ä‚ĆŒĹ?ůLJ Ä?Äž Ä‚Ä?Ä?ĞƉƚĞĚ
PRESBYTERIANS, ANGLICANS AND LUTHERANS (PAL S) LL
If YOU are‌ • NEW to our communities of Biggar/Landis/Perdue • Have a new baby
TI @ THE ANGLICAN UN CCHURCH E D NE NOTI O P MARCH 8 034)*1 t " . ER OST
Call WELCOME
P TH TH 201-4 FUR AVE EAST - BIGGAR
WAGON at 306-948-3837 Sheila Itterman
For more information/pastoral services, phone 306-948-3731 or Pastor Sarah Mowat’s cell, 306-951-7286
We have gifts and information www. welcomewagon.ca
ST. GABRIEL ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 109 - 7th Ave.W, Biggar
Father Edward Gibney
Parish Phone: 306-948-3330 SUNDAY MASS TIME s A M
Integrity Post Frame Buildings
SERVICES Biggar & District ARTS Council are available for bar tending services at your functions/events. Contact Denise @ 306-948-2452 19tfn
Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www. swna.com. PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details
WANTED WANTED: OLD TUBE AUDIO EQUIPMENT. 40 years or older. Amplifiers, Stereo, Recording and Theatre Sound Equipment. Hammond Organs, any condition. CALL Toll-Free 1-800-947-0393
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PROOF - The Biggar Independen
BOX 40, BIGGAR, SK S0K 0M0
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LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 SAGITTARIUS – Nov Leo, caution is 23/Dec 21 called for any time a Sagittarius, you may financial presentation need to say something is made that affects to a loved one that your finances. Properly shows how much you vet all potential investsupport this special ments and anyone purpose. Give careful guiding you in this proconsideration to what cess. you want to say. VIRGO – Aug 24/ CAPRICORN – Dec Sept 22 22/Jan 20 Virgo, you may be Use this week as an putting your best self opportunity to catch forward, but unless up on some rest, Capyou get others to take ricorn. Your schedule notice, you won’t has been jam-packed be able to make an for some time now, impact. Enlist others to and your energy stores help. are depleted. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct AQUARIUS – Jan 23 21/Feb 18 Libra, your ingenuity Aquarius, you and imagination have may be stuck in the been wavering lately. Thankfully, that doesn’t middle of a situation with two people mean you won’t be you care about. Be able to get things an impartial listener working again. Stay to both instead of the course. SCORPIO – Oct 24/ taking sides. Offer Nov 22 advice if it’s sought. Financial matters PISCES – Feb 19/ come to the forefront Mar 20 this week, Scorpio. You Pisces, you may may have depleted be hit with a bit your reserves a bit of melancholy this faster than expected. week, but it quickly It’s probably time to phone call on Feb. 26, 2019 subsides when you curtail your spending.
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THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 14
SERVICES
C
700 344
Business & Professional …
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
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Tel: 948-3344 Contact: CONDITIONS OF SUBSCRIPTION RATES…per year Fax: 948-2133 ADVERTISING ACCEPTANCE ONLINE… spelling and accu 9 Please check thisAllcopy advertisingcarefully subject to publisher’sfor approval. It is agreed by The $40.00 + $2.00 gst = $42.00 Independent and any advertiser using or requesting space that the 9 When you OK this proof, cannot held responsi publisher shall not be we held liable for damages inbe event of non-insertion Inside 40-mile Radius…
r "-- $-"44*'*&%4 .645 #& 13&1"*% r
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$45.00 $2.25 gst = $47.25 for +any errors that
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THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 15
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Virus casts pall on world of sports Sportsnet’s Jim Hughson will be reduced to play-by-play of his son playing on the backyard trampoline. In mid-April, Jim Nantz of CBS will say “Hello Friends” and the only responses will be from the medical-mask-wearing neighbourhood couple he’s invited over for a cocktail and cookout. TSN play-by-play man Rod Black’s surname represents the colour of today’s sports world. The haunting news came quickly on Thursday, March 12 - news that might have been more appropriate 24 hours later, Friday the 13th. Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the official name for the worldwide pandemic, coronavirus, and while the Jazz-Thunder game was immediately cancelled just prior to tipoff, NBA commissioner Adam Silver almost simultaneously announced the postponement of the entire schedule. The first domino had fallen.The National Hockey League did the same the next day, as did Major League Baseball with its spring training and regular season schedules. The NCAA’s biggest event, March Madness, was another virus victim and while basketball fans across North America lamented the loss of their favourite
tournament, operators of Las Vegas sports books wept. The PGA Tour was the only thing operating on that fateful Thursday, but after one round of the Players Championship and a Tour statement that the final three rounds would be played without fans, commissioner Jay Monahan changed course later that day and said the tournament had been cancelled, as well as the next three events. Masters officials waited 24 hours to use Friday the 13th to say their tournament - the first major of the season - would be postponed. It was an Apocalyptic period in the world of sports. Gatherings of people in large, or even semi-large groups was not only being discouraged, but the sports world was prohibiting it. Billions of dollars is or will be lost as the world of sports ground to a halt. TV networks have no live product for who knows how long. Players will still be paid, in most cases, but popcorn sellers or ushers likely won’t. Revenues from a multitude of ancillary avenues immediately stopped. It’s unprecedented. The resumption of play is unknown. Will there be league champions declared? Or will the history books show the 2020 season to be a washout, just like the list of Masters’ winners jumps from
1942 to 1946 - Second could revive ‘The Brady World War bringing Bunch’ on ABC, getting a halt to three years of Gronk acting work as competition. the crazy neighbour next Sports fans will survive. door.” Let’s just • Reader hope everyKim Hempone who hill, of Vircontracts ginia, with the coronaa question virus does for Nortoo. man Chad: • NFL “Do you Memes, on think the Twitter: Astros have “ALERT: developed CDC offia way to tip cials have their batter advised that off that he’s wearing a about to Philadelbe hit by a phia Eagles pitch?” jersey could • NOT Bruce Penton protect you Sportsfrom coroCentre, on navirus after noticing Twitter: BREAKING: The last season that players NFL has announced it wearing Eagles jerseys is cancelling the Detroit couldn’t catch anything.” Lions. Roger Goodell: • Alan Shipnuck of golf. com, on the debate surrounding the Players and whether it should be accorded ‘fifth-major’ status: “Alas, some things are immutable: There are four seasons, four Beatles, four horsemen of the apocalypse, and only four major championships.” • Norman Chad of the Washington Post, suggesting Tom Brady could do anything he wants in the world of commerce, or football: “He could make Ben from Ben and Jerry’s an offer he couldn’t refuse and recast the ice cream powerhouse as Tom and Jerry’s. He
Monday Night Mixed League: Women’s High Single, Cindy Watson 206; Women’s High Triple, Cindy Watson 542; Men’s High Single, Byron Bodnarchuk 309; Men’s High Triple, Jason Raschke 651.
Men’s High Triple, Bob Lemon 380. YBC Bowlasaurus: Girl’s High Single, Lucy Still 63; Boy’s High Single, Harlan Tilsley 55.
Boy’s High Triple, Dominic Raschke 341.
Penton on sports
“It’s nothing virus related, we just felt it was a good opportunity to put them out of their misery.” • Headline at TheOnion. com: “Orioles suggest that MLB maybe consider cancelling entire season just to be totally safe.” • Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Now March Madness is cancelled. No, let me rephrase that: The NCAA basketball tournaments are canceled. We’re LIVING in March Madness.” • Comedian Argus Hamilton, on Twitter, on why Tom Brady might as well keep playing football at age 42: “He’s 35 years too young to run for president.” • Omaha comedy writer Brad Dickson: “I was watching TV tonight and it was nothing but disease, viruses, quarantines
- and that was the sports news.” • Comedy writer Jim Barach: “The NBA has suspended its season because of coronavirus. This would really be a bad time to bring back the old slogan ‘NBA fever . . . catch it!’” • Mr. Anonymous on Twitter: “The National Lacrosse League joins the shutdown party. Sports networks furiously looking for taped darts and bowling matches to fill time slots.” • From the New York Post: “The Braves pulled off an epic troll on the Astros; when the Astros took the field for spring training, the Braves played Ace Of Base’s ‘I Saw The Sign’.” Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@ yahoo.ca.
Biggar Bowl weekly scores
Thursday Senior Afternoon League: Women’s High Single, June Hoppe 222; Women’s High Triple, June Hoppe 523; Men’s High Single, Bob Lemon 139;
Pee Wee: Boy’s High Single, Percy Silverton 144; Boy’s High Double, Percy Silverton 224. Bantam: Girl’s High Single, Zuri Bailey 138; Girl’s High Triple, Zuri Bailey 366; Boy’s High Single, Dominic Raschke 139;
Junior Girl’s High Single, Kiersten Raschke 186; Girl’s High Triple, Kiersten Raschke 467. Senior Girl’s High Single, Cassie Raschke 318; Girl’s High Triple, Cassie Raschke 710; Boy’s High Single, Julian Heimbecker 260; Boy’s High Triple, Tristan Otterson 638.
Ernie Redlick Memorial awarded . . . Declan McMahon, left, and Bryson Dearing are the co-winners of the annual Ernie Redlick Memorial Award for the 2019-20. The pair was selected as the most underrated players with dedication to their team in the Novice Division. Congratulations! (Photo for The Independent by Jocelyn Redlick)
Soup’s on . . . Daryl and Peggy Hasein get a heaping bowl of soup from Eastern Star Worthy Matron, Robin Isabelle, right, March 11 during their fund raiser at the Biggar New Horizons. Tasty as always, the Biggar Acacia Chapter Order of Eastern Star uses the day to raise money for charities. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
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A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO:
Box 40, 122 Main Street, Biggar, SK S0K 0M0
email: tip@sasktel.net
Phone: 306-948-3344
www.biggarindependent.ca
ROOTED IN LOCAL AGRICULTURE
2- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
A focus on the malt industry for a bright future in Saskatchewan Prairie Malt will begin the 2020 growing season with Production contracts and forward pricing “Act of God” contracts which are available direct to farmers until April 30. Boortmalt, whose Parent Company is Axereal – a French farmer owned coop, purchased Prairie Malt form Cargill Ltd November 1, 2019. A passion for malting
barley and how it is produced has allowed Boortmalt to accomplish great things in 20 short years. From grassroots beginnings, purchasing a small malt plant in France that was going bankrupt, Boortmalt has grown to become the number one malting company in the
world. Under the umbrella of Boortmalt, Prairie Malt will focus on Sustainability across the supply chain from raw material grains to efficiencies in process and logistics. Boortmalt supports and participates in strong long-term partnership
Canadian Ag Safety Week celebrates safe and strong farms This March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is encouraging all Canadians to celebrate Safe and Strong Farms. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) is an annual public campaign focusing on the importance of safe agriculture. Safe and Strong Farms: Grow an AgSafe Canada is the second year of a three-year campaign celebrating farm safety across Canada. The aim of the campaign is to empower farmers, farm families and farming communities to build (2019), grow (2020), and lead (2021) the agricultural industry in safety and sustainability. In 2020 organizers are focusing on supporting farmers, farm families and farming communities through resources, safety advice articles, an AgSafe Ribbon campaign and more. “We recognize that this past year was a difficult one for many farmers,” says Marcel Hacault, CASA’s Executive Director. “That’s why we’ve focused resources on supporting wellness, resilience and safety on the farm.” CASW 2020 also marks the fourth year of the AgSafe Ribbon campaign. The AgSafe Ribbon campaign celebrates Safe and Strong Farms and raises awareness about the importance of farm safety. Farm Credit Canada is the presenting sponsor of CASW and long-time supporter of other farm safety programs, including the Back to Ag Program that supports the cost of adaptive technology for farmers that have experienced a traumatic injury. “At FCC, we under-
stand that people are the most precious asset in any operation and promoting safety to prevent accidents is the best investment we can make in supporting farm operators and their families,” said Sophie Perreault, executive vicepresident and chief operating officer at FCC. “We also know that accidents happen, so the Back to AgProgram is another way FCC can help injured farmers fulfil their dreams and return to the important work they’re doing as soon as possible.”
with the largest Co-Ops/ merchants in France, England, Scotland, Central Europe, Sweden et cetera and directly with growers in Ireland. This preference to partner with farmers to develop unique supply chains, producing the best barley and malt possible resulting in top quality beers, aligns directly with the specific goals of Prairie Malt. Prairie Malt will continue to purchase grains direct from farmers and grow those partnerships. In Saskatchewan and across the globe, several initiatives that support Boortmalt/Prairie Malt’s include providing crop husbandry technical advice, hosting crop field and brewery events, variety research, Farmer knowledge transfer events. Prairie Malt is looking forward to a new era in the Boortmalt family and will begin the 2020 growing season with Production contracts and forward pricing Act of God contracts which are available direct to farmers until April 30 , 2020.
3- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
Anhydrous ammonia - handle with care! While fertilizers share a common purpose, there’s no ‘one-size-fitsall’ instruction manual. Learning about the unique properties and precautions for each fertilizer used on your operation, could save time, money, and prevent serious injury. Anhydrous ammonia, or NH3, is one of the most commonly used fertilizers. It’s low-cost, highly effective and contains one of the most concentrated forms of nitrogen with levels at 82 per cent. However, it can also be highly hazardous. Anhydrous means without water, and anhydrous ammonia can rapidly cause dehydration and severe burns if it combines with water in the body. Symptoms can include difficulty breathing, irritation to the eyes, nose or throat, burns or blisters. Exposure to high concentrations can
lead to death. One deep breath of the gas can be fatal or cause severe damage to the throat and lungs. Needless to say, the handling and storage of NH3 requires special care. One of the first ‘safety stops’ farmers would have to consider is the storage of the fertilizer. If it’s being stored on your property, the proper handling practices and treatment in the case of an incident should be detailed in your Emergency Response Plan. The local fire department should also be made aware of where the fertilizer is being stored. When handling the fertilizer, we recommend that you not work alone. It’s also important that anyone handling or applying NH3 wear proper Personal Protective Equipment. This includes a face shield and safety eye wear,
gloves, and appropriate respiratory protection where appropriate. Weather is an everpresent factor in farming, and the application of fertilizer is no exception. It’s important to pay special attention to the direction of the wind. If there’s an uncontrolled release of NH3, quickly move upwind to avoid exposure and shut down all ignition sources if safe to do so. In the event of an exposure, follow the first aid measures indicated on the Safety Data Sheet. Special precautions should also be taken to prevent NH3 runoff from contaminating the surrounding environment. If you’re the farm owner or employer, it’s you’re responsibility to provide training, develop procedures, and review the Safety Data Sheet with your employees. Associations such as the
Avoid entrapment incidents with proper grain storage As farmers, you understand the importance of proper storage of your crops. High temperatures and humidity level can drastically impact grain quality. But how is this a safety concern? This past year, we experienced a very wet harvest season and crops were put into storage in wet conditions. Once spring weather arrives, the grain will thaw and can start to go ‘out of condition’ as humidity and temperature reach certain levels and grain begins to bind together. Out of condition grain is one of the leading causes for producers to enter a bin. Across Canada, there’s an average of six fatalities every year from grain entrapment or engulfment. Entrapment and engulfment often result from out of condition grain that has bridged over and has a void under the surface. When the producer enters the bin to assess the situation, the bridged grain gives way, entrapping or engulfing them. Another situation is from grain that has scaled up in
the side walls of the bin, restricting the flow of contents. Producers often enter the bin to remove the buildup. The buildup can slump down and entrap or engulf them. Here are a few ways to prevent ‘out of condition’ grain storage issues, ultimately protecting your crops – and yourself: 1.) The first, and most obvious way, is to dry the grain before loading it into bins. Many producers have been running grain dryers almost constantly since harvest time this year. However, this can be a costly and time-consuming option and not everyone owns a grain dryer. 2.) Another way would be to load the wet grain in the bin and use your aeration systems to maintain temperature and humidity at ideal levels. It’s a delicate balance as under or overuse of the aeration system can make the grain less desirable for sale. This method calls for an understanding of the characteristics of the product being stored and a close monitoring of temperature and humid-
ity levels. Organizations like the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute and the Canadian Grain Commission have developed charts and resources that help farmers determine the ideal conditions for different grain varieties. In terms of industry innovations, there tools worth exploring: imaging technology that reads the moisture content throughout the bin, regardless of size or volume; and air bag systems that uses liners that inflate and deflate, pushing the grain through for removal without ever having to enter the bin. Take the time to research and find the right tech for your farm. Keeping grain in good condition will help the grain to flow without issues when unloading, reduce risks to workers, maintain grain quality and better ensure that you get the best price for your grain.
Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers and Fertilizer Canada are helpful sources of information, and they also provide training courses. Equipping yourself and your workers with the appropriate tools and knowledge could prevent a host of unwanted consequences when handling Anhydrous ammonia. We invite you to explore the resources available and encourage you to incorporate the handling and treatment of anhydrous ammonia into your Emergency Response Plan.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
4- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Selecting the right technology for your farm
RBC Royal Bank Tosalute thosethe thatFarming work in Acres,who We industry, don’t just not workintillHours. the sun goes down. We thank you!!
They work till the job is done.
Lee Laughren
ACCOUNT MANAGER, AGRICULTURE
306-717-8283
Maxi Biederstaedt ACCOUNT MANAGER, AGRICULTURE
306-930-0554
Lee Laughren Account Kendal Moore Manager, ACCOUNT MANAGER, AGRICULTURE Agriculture 306-882-5389 306-651-8231
Kendal Moore Account Manager, Agriculture 306-882-5389
Technology has created system, is the bin in good bouring operation has new and exciting ways condition?) a piece of tech doesn’t to manage and improve • How will this affect the mean that it’ll apply to farming operations. people on your farm? your farm. From GPS to drones, Will you have to hire a No two operations from bin monitors to person to manage the are identical. Spending smartphones and apps, new tech? Will it cause money and time on new tech is everywhere. Along undue stress and frustra- technology that isn’t with the tremendous tion? How will you mannecessary may negatively advantages that the tech age the impacts? affect your farm. When has afforded farmers, Once you determine you’re selecting a piece there is potential for what you need and want of technology, make sure inefficiencies, frustraand any other barriers it’s appropriate for your tions, and, at worst – that might obstruct the specific operation. hazards. tech implementation Assessment Selecting the right tech, effectively and safely, Before implementing using it to its best advan- you’re ready for the next new technology, conduct tage, and being prepared step. a hazard assessment and for hazards can create a Research cost-benefit analysis. farming operation that is There are all kinds of Could the tech potennot only productive but innovative and technotially create a hazard? also safe. logically advanced prodWhat are the conseBefore starting the pro- Smith, ucts outKendal there. Moore quences if the tech Attention: Kristy cess ofkendal.moore@rbc.com purchasing any Most of the time, there doesn’t perform as anticnew tech, begin by conare very similar products ipated? Who or what will sidering the folOnce again we would like to salute the Agriculture lowing: Industry of Saskatchewan and Canada for their • What task contributions to our community. This special do yousupplement to The Independent will be published require Thursday, March 19, 2020. the technologyAbove you will find your salute/ag ad from last year. to per-Please proof and let me know of any changes by return form?email. Often, tech Price: $105.00 plus g.s.t. FREE COLOUR (software or hard- Please call or reply by return email, tip@sasktel.net, to ware)306-948-3344 do more Deadline March 12. than we need. Ask Thanks for your participation. yourself, do youThe Biggar Independent need something basic or that can do the same be affected by the new more complicated? tasks. But there are tech? (This is especially • Do you have the skill often differences in the important to consider set or know where to go fine print. It could be as for livestock operations.) to learn how to use the simple as dedicated tech What are the timelines technology effectively support or the possibility for implementing the and safely? Will you be of fixing or troubleshoot- technology? What is the able to transfer those ing yourself. It could anticipated timeline for skills to an employee even be training built the return on investor family member that into the purchase. might also use the techThese distinctions are nology? What are the important and could save costs of any training? you time and money. • Figure out where you When performing can go for troubleshootresearch in a tech proding. Will you need to hire uct, read reviews, check someone? It’s incredout the user manual (if ibly frustrating to have available), talk to the technology that doesn’t reps and ask questions operate as expected, and (remember: no question it’s even more frustrating is stupid). If possible, when you can’t find help speak to others that have or answers. the tech you’re consid• Do you have the ering purchasing and platform in which the determine if it’s right for technology can perform your operation. effectively and safely? Selection (For example, if purchasJust because the neighing a bin monitoring
ment? Control After determining the hazards, it’s essential to the safety of your farm to implement controls to address these hazards. It could be creating policies for anyone working with or around the technology. (For example, a ‘safe zone’ staying away from automated equipment, or distracted farming policy for smart devices.) Most of these considerations when purchasing and implementing new technology aren’t new. Most purchases require similar deliberations. Doing some research, making the best selection, doing an assessment and implementing controls will help ensure the technology integrates into your operation safely and effectively. Safe operations are productive operations and productive operations are profitable operations. Grow safety on your farm by ensuring that you have made the best choices for you, your family and your farm.
5- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Thousands raise a fork on Canadaʼs Agriculture Day Online and in person, thousands of Canadians raised a fork to Canadian agriculture during the fourth annual national celebration of one of country’s most dynamic and vital industries this past February 11. “From Newfoundland to British Columbia and all across this great nation, Canadians are celebrating the women and men who work so hard to put high-quality food on our tables each and every day,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, speaking at a gathering of producers, grocery retail and agriculture industry leaders to mark Canada’s Agriculture Day
in Ottawa on Feb. 11. “All across the country, Canada’s Agriculture Day is a tremendous celebration of our industry.” The 2020 edition of Canada’s Agriculture Day focused on strengthening the relationship between consumers and producers who share a common love and appreciation for home-grown food. It was among the top trending topics in Canada on Twitter with #CdnAgDay, with many participants posting photos of themselves raising a fork to their all-Canadian meals. “The ‘Forks Up for Canadian Agriculture’ message resonated well and the campaign was a tremendous suc-
cess,” said Debbie Bailey, spokesperson for Agriculture More Than Ever, one of the driving forces behind Canada’s Agriculture Day. “From our farms to our grocery stores, food is a great connector for all of us. Canadians are proud of the people who grow and process their food, and they are confident we have the safest, most affordable and delicious food in the world.” This year’s celebration saw the participation of many agriculture and food groups across the country including industry associations, community groups, individuals and media. Some events – such as Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Young
Farmer’s Summit at Olds College in Alberta and Ag in the Classroom’s engAGe event in Vancouver – were meant to inspire young people who are either already involved in the industry or are considering careers in agriculture. To engage urban consumers, FCC released a video featuring food grown and processed in
Canada. FCC was also invited to ring the opening bell at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in recognition of Canada’s Agriculture Day and FCC’s long-standing commitment to Canada’s agriculture industry. Bailey said it’s important to talk about farming and food production throughout the year, but she sees tremendous
value in having a day dedicated to showcasing Canadian agriculture. She said planning has already begun for 2021, as there seems to be a growing interest among Canadians to learn more about food and food production in Canada. “The appetite for this kind of celebration grows every year. It’s heartwarming to see the level of engagement and celebration from Canadians across the country,” she said.
6- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
7- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
Smart Earth ships first load of camelina oil by rail Historic first tank car of Camelina from Prairies to Vancouver
Smart Earth Camelina Corporation is shipping an historic first rail tank car of Camelina oil from the Canadian Prairies to an aquaculture customer in Vancouver. In collaboration with crush partner Virtex Farm Foods, this milestone rail car is being loaded at Osler, and will be the first of many cars destined for the highvalue sustainable aquaculture feed market. After almost 20 years of research and development by Smart Earth, Camelina sativa (camelina) is now a viable option for Prairie farmers. Camelina is poised to become the next Madein-Canada oilseed crop of significance at the farm
gate and throughout the value chain. Camelina is a unique, dry land oilseed crop that can be produced on marginal lands with significantly lower inputs than other oilseeds, while providing competitive yields. The oil profile is similar to flax oil in that it provides nutritious High-Omega oil; but it has greater oxidative stability than flax. Camelina is a highyielding source of nutritionally important Omega fatty acids and provides excellent quality meal and oil for animal feed and aquaculture. Camelina oil is in demand for aquaculture because it improves the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio in farmed fish. It also reduces the need to use marine-based fish oil
in the feed – making it more sustainable than traditional feeds. When used in chicken feed, Camelina meal produces High-Omega eggs and meat. Other promising markets include dairy, companion pets and human health and nutrition. As the leading global Camelina enterprise based in Saskatoon, Smart Earth is dedicated to developing the best Camelina varieties available while working with growers to provide excellent production opportunities. The company maintains a continuous plant-breeding program unmatched in scale and scope. It recently launched Cypress, a new Camelina variety with 40 per cent larger seeds (in
Canada’s Agriculture Day aims to strengthen consumer-producer relationship Canadians were being asked to raise a fork to Canadian agriculture as part of a national social media campaign to celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day this past February 11. “Canada’s Agriculture Day is a great opportunity to pay tribute to our producers and to express our immense appreciation for their contributions to our communities,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. “Canadian producers and processors are working around the clock to put nutritious, high-quality food on our tables and create good jobs in communities across the country. Our food producers continue to innovate to meet growing demand at home and around the world, while meeting the challenges of environmental sustainability.” The fourth anniversary of Canada’s Agriculture Day will focus on strengthening the relationship between consumers and produc-
ers who share a common love and appreciation for home-grown food. “Canada’s Agriculture Day is for everyone,” said Debbie Bailey, spokesperson for Agriculture More Than Ever, one of the driving forces behind Canada’s Agriculture Day. “The day will be marked by events across the country. If you’re unable to participate in one of these events, you can join in the fun by making a meal with your family using all Canadian ingredients, snapping a photo of you raising your fork to Canadian agriculture then sharing it on social media using #CdnAgDay.” Surveys have shown that a vast majority of consumers don’t fully understand where their food comes from or how it is produced. “The day is an excellent opportunity for consumers and producers to engage in a positive dialogue around Canada’s agriculture and food industries – and be open to where the conversation goes,” said Bailey,
noting a recent survey by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity showed three in five Canadians show interest in learning more about agriculture and modern farm practices. That same survey showed 70 per cent of Canadians trust farmers to provide them with accurate information about their food and 60 per cent already view Canadian agriculture in a positive light. “Conversations on Canada’s Agriculture Day and throughout the year are important for building trust between consumers and the people who grow and process the food we eat,” Bailey said. “The stronger that connection becomes, the more likely consumers will choose Canadian products offered on the grocery store shelf.”
comparison to common Camelina) and is also poised to launch a nonGMO herbicide-tolerant variety in Canada, pending regulatory approval. Smart Earth’s plantbreeding activities provide a significant pipeline of trait development to ensure maximum yield and profitability for growers. The company is currently contracting with growers throughout the Prairie region for commercial production in the 2020 season. It has developed several delivery points throughout Saskatchewan to meet growers’ needs. Smart Earth provides a closed-loop fully priced production contract, complete with highquality Cypress seed, backed by experienced agronomic support. Growers interested in a Camelina production contract should visit the Smart Earth Web site, smartearthcamelina.ca/ pages/grower-opportunities to learn more.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
8- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
How farmers are using drones The farmers of yesteryear might not be too familiar with their surroundings if they were to visit a modern farm. While the men and women who made their livings as farmers decades ago would no doubt still recognize certain farm features that have withstood the test of time, they might not understand the inner workings of the modern farm, particularly in regard to the role technology now plays within
the agricultural sector. Technology has changed agriculture in myriad ways. The methods farmers employ to produce food and improve the efficiency of their operations has changed as technology has evolved. One of the more noticeable changes that’s hard to miss on modern farms is the use of agricultural drones. Drones have been around for decades. Sometimes referred to as “unmanned aerial vehicles,” or “UAVs,” drones can be utilized in ways that can save farmers money and protect the planet. • Monitor crops: According to senseFly, the commercial drone subsidiary of Parrot Group, drones can help farmers effectively monitor their crops. With a drone flying overhead, farmers can spot and quickly identify issues affecting their crops before those issues escalate into something larger. • Soil analysis: Another potential benefit of agricultural
Thinking back to the Johnny Rivers song, “Muddy Water”, the lyrics coin the phrase, “I washed my hands in muddy water”. As a mayor of a agriculture-based, versatile and economic areas, I think of our Prairie provinces and the work that identi-
drones highlights their role in analyzing soil. Agricultural drones utilize complex mapping functions to gather data about the soil, including areas where it might be stressed. That enables farmers to develop accurate soil samples that can be used to guide decisions in regard to irrigation and fertilization. • Reduce waste: SenseFly notes that data
thereby reducing waste and runoff, benefitting the planet as a result. • Planning: Drones can be used to collect data on crop growth and health at various times throughout the growing season. That can help farmers develop accurate predictions regarding harvest quality and crop yield, making it easier for them to plan ahead. Agricultural drones
gathered by drones can help farmers determine the vigor of their crops at various stages of growth. Such information can prevent overfertilization and overwatering,
are one of the many examples that illustrate how technology has changed and will continue to change the ways modern farmers conduct business.
s
r’ o y Ma k s De
fies our Prairie people in agriculture, livestock,
mining, energy and more - “hands on work” that has been our major employer for years. I feel the West has been respectful to the world. Hell, we do take our “Muddy Boots” off at the door! So . . . Ottawa, don’t slam the door on the West! We make great dancing partners. Just ask! Ray Sadler Mayor of Biggar
9- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
The benefits of organic foods milk. The Organic Center notes that’s a considerable benefit, as higher amounts of omega-3 and lower amounts of omega-6 fatty acids helps promote cardiovascular health and support the immune system. When choosing organic products at the grocery store, consumers may be benefitting their overall health in various ways
Modern grocery stores are unlike the ones many of today’s adults encountered when they were children. Grocery stores are not only bigger today than they were years ago, but they’re also stocked with items that weren’t available until relatively recently. One stroll through the produce section reveals just how different modern grocery stores are from those of yesteryear. Organic fruits and vegetables now take up ample real estate in grocery store produce sections. Many shoppers may wonder if they’re better off choosing organic versus traditional products, and research suggests they are. • Organic foods contain less pesticides and toxic materials. A 2014 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that organically grown crops were less likely than conventionally grown crops to contain detectable levels of pesticides. The analysis also found that organically grown crops were 48 percent less
likely to contain cadmium than conventionally grown crops. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the liver and kidneys, which the Global Healing Center says can affect blood pressure, induce bone damage and affect renal and dopamingeric systems in children. • Organic crops contain more antioxidants than conventional crops. The same analysis also found that organic crops had significantly higher levels of antioxidants, which promote strong immune systems, than conventionally grown crops. Organic crops were found to contain 69 percent higher levels of flavanones and 51 percent higher levels of anthocyanins than their conventional counterparts. The extra antioxidants in organic foods is nothing to scoff at, as the National Cancer Institute notes that antioxidants neutralize free radicals, excess levels of which can potentially lead to the formation of various types of cancer and other
diseases. • Organic products cannot contain synthetic hormones. Conventionally raised animals are sometimes injected with synthetic growth hormones so they will gain weight more quickly and produce more milk. Residue from those substances, which cannot be used in the production of organic meat and dairy products, is believed to contribute to widespread antibiotic resistance, according to the Biodesign Center for Environmental Security at Arizona State University. In addition, some studies have suggested a strong connection between the hormones given to cattle and cancer in humans. • Organic dairy products can promote cardiovascular health. A 2013 study from researchers affiliated with the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources found that organic milk contained 25 percent less omega-6 fatty acids and 62 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than conventional
Canadian meat industry makes donation to Red Cross for Covid-19 response in China The Canadian meat industry has made a $50,000 donation to the Red Cross to support the response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in China. “We see daily what an impact this virus has had on our customers in China and are aware of all the efforts made on the part of the Chinese to address it. We felt compelled to assist,” says Chris White, president of the Canadian Meat Council, in a release
shared with RealAgriculture. The donation to the Canadian Red Cross is designated to support the Red Cross Society of China in its effort to provide medical supplies and support to prevent and control the spread of the virus. The following companies and industry groups contributed to the donation: Donald’s Fine Foods, Conestoga Meats, Hylife, Maple Leaf, Olymel, Sunterra,
Canada Beef, Canadian Pork Council, Canada Pork, and the Canadian Meat Council. “Our industry has many business and personal friendships with the people of China and we have all been touched by the scale of this outbreak. We want to strategically assist our friends over the next few months to recover from the outbreak and return to normalcy,” says Canada Pork president Trevor Sears.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
10- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Canadian machinery sales off to a very slow start Machinery sales for 2020 have started off on a much weaker tone than 2019, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. The current agricultural profitability outlook is bleak due to market access concerns, a bearish tone to commodities in the face of trade disruption, and rising protectionism elsewhere in the world.
Without extra disposable income farmers have clearly pulled back on machinery purchases in January and again in February. Not one category is in positive territory for year-to-date sales at the end of February 2020. For tractors, 2WDs are down 10.7%, 4WD tractors are down 52.2%, and combines are down 36%
year-to-date compared to the same period in 2019. The U.S. numbers look to be in better shape, comparatively speaking. “What we’re seeing in tractor and combine unit sales is in line with expectations,” says Curt Blades, senior vice president of Ag Services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “A lot of uncertainty in overall
global markets is being reflected in agricultural goods markets, and that ultimately gets reflected in the capital expenditure decisions, like major equipment purchases, that farmers make.” In the U.S. 2WD tractors are down 1.4%, 4WD tractors are flat, and combines are down 22.6% year-to-date compared to the same period in 2019.
11- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
Foods with ample antioxidants The term “antioxidants” is frequently associated with cancer prevention. Antioxidants are helpful, but many people may not fully comprehend the role antioxidants play in fighting cancer. Antioxidants are chemicals that interact with and neutralize free radicals, thus preventing them from causing damage, offers the National Cancer Institute. Free radicals are formed in the body by exposure to ionizing radiation and other radiation. An excessive amount of free radicals in the body can negatively affect cells and potentially lead to the formation of various types of cancer and other diseases. While the body makes some of the antioxidants it uses to scavenge free radicals and render them ineffective, it also relies on antioxidants from food sources.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says that, to date, nine randomized controlled clinical trials of dietary antioxidant supplements for cancer prevention have been conducted worldwide. Some studies have pointed to the benefits of antioxidant supplements, while others found that these supplements can actually elevate cancer risk or diminish the efficacy of cancer treat-
ments. Increasing antioxidant intake may be best accomplished by eating a variety of plantbased foods that contain high levels of naturally occurring antioxidants, rather than through supplementation. So what foods offer the highest levels of potentially cancer-fighting antioxidants? The largest and most comprehensive study to date into antioxidant levels was published in 2004 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Researchers analyzed antioxidant levels in more than 100 foods. In addition to pointing out many foods people already knew to be antioxidant-rich, researchers uncovered some surprises. Here’s a look at some of the best bets for beneficial foods that may be part of a cancer-fighting
diet. • small red bean (dried) • wild blueberry • red kidney bean (dried) • pinto bean • cultivated blueberry • cranberry • cooked artichoke • blackberry • prune • raspberry These foods rank high among those with the most antioxidants per serving, according to the USDA. However, many other foods also are great sources of antioxidants. These include russet potatoes, pecans, gala apples, walnuts, Indian gooseberries, cloves, and mint. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, particularly berries, can provide many of the antioxidants the human body needs to neutralize the potential damage caused by free radicals
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
12- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
Avoid entrapment incidents with proper grain storage As farmers, you understand the importance of proper storage of your crops. High temperatures and humidity level can drastically impact grain quality. But how is this a safety concern? This past year, we experienced a very wet harvest season and crops were put into storage in wet conditions. Once
spring weather arrives, the grain will thaw and can start to go ‘out of condition’ as humidity and temperature reach certain levels and grain begins to bind together. Out of condition grain is one of the leading causes for producers to enter a bin. Across Canada, there’s an average of six fatalities every year from grain entrapment or
engulfment. Entrapment and engulfment often result from out of condition grain that has bridged over and has a void under the surface. When the producer enters the bin to assess the situation, the bridged grain gives way, entrapping or engulfing them. Another situation is from grain that has scaled up in the side walls of the bin, restricting the flow of contents. Producers often enter the bin to remove the buildup. The buildup can slump down and entrap or engulf them. Here are a few ways to prevent ‘out of condition’ grain storage issues, ultimately protecting your crops – and yourself: 1.) The first, and most obvious way, is to dry the grain before loading it into bins. Many producers have been running grain dryers almost constantly since harvest time this year. However, this can be a costly and time-consuming option and not everyone owns a grain dryer. 2.) Another way would be to load the wet grain in the bin and use your aeration systems to maintain temperature and humidity at ideal levels. It’s a delicate
balance as under or overuse of the aeration system can make the grain less desirable for sale. This method calls for an understanding of the characteristics of the product being stored and a close monitoring of temperature and humidity levels. Organizations like the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute and the Canadian Grain Commission have developed charts and resources that help farmers determine the ideal conditions for different grain varieties. In terms of industry innovations, there tools worth exploring: imaging technology that reads the moisture content throughout the bin, regardless of size or volume; and air bag systems that uses liners that inflate and deflate, pushing the grain through for removal without ever having to enter the bin. Take the time to research and find the right tech for your farm. Keeping grain in good condition will help the grain to flow without issues when unloading, reduce risks to workers, maintain grain quality and better ensure that you get the best price for your grain.
Resilience on the Farm Farming and Ranching have unique occupational hazards and stresses. With strong traditions of being an independent occupation, the tendency is not talk about problems or ask for support. Feeling lonely and isolated is common, but you aren’t alone and we can all do things to support each other. Reach out to those around you. Get involved in your local community, make the time to connect with friends, share information and help grow healthy and resilient agricultural communities.
13- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
How to prevent crabgrass Few things can give a home exterior that
spring or early summer. While crabgrass dies
promote a healthy lawn and make it more dif-
sought after wow factor as well as a nicely maintained lawn. A lush green landscape is a great way to show pride in home ownership and improve curb appeal. As many homeowners know, lawns are under constant attack. The elements are rarely easy on lawns, and watchful eyes must always be kept open for other problems that can plague a lawn, including crabgrass. Crabgrass can be a formidable adversary in the summer months. According to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, crabgrass begins as seeds. These seeds germinate in
after the first hard frost in fall, crabgrass seeds remain dormant in winter, and the seeds then grow again in the following spring when ground temperature warms up. Without action to prevent crabgrass seeds from germinating, homeowners will likely end up with patches of crabgrass throughout their lawns every summer. A healthy lawn is the best defense against crabgrass. The healthier a lawn is, the harder it is for unwanted grasses like crabgrass to thrive. The following are a handful of strategies that can
ficult for unsightly crabgrass to establish itself in the months ahead. • Keep grass at a consistent length, and don’t cut too low. Maintaining a consistent length of grass by mowing at regular intervals can make it hard for crabgrass to thrive. Crabgrass requires ample sunlight to germinate, so grass that is not cut too short may keep crabgrass from growing in. Of course, grass should not be allowed to grow kneelength, either. By raising blades to the mowing height appropriate for their type of grass, and
mowing at regular intervals so the grass remains at that height through the summer, homeowners can promote healthy lawns and make it harder for crabgrass to germinate. • Never cut too much of the blade off of the grass. When mowing, don’t cut too much of the blade off the grass with each cut, even if the grass seems especially long. As noted, cutting too low allows sunlight to reach crabgrass seeds. But cutting too much off the blade, even if the grass is still high after a mow, can injure the grass. Injured grass can make lawns more vulnerable to weeds and crabgrass. • Apply a pre-emergence herbicide. Preemergence herbicides kill germinating grass seedlings before they emerge from the soil. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding when and how much herbicide to apply. If crabgrass has already started to grow, it’s likely too late to apply a pre-emergence herbicide. Crabgrass is an unwelcome invader in many lawns. Spring can be a great time to prevent this unwanted guest from returning this summer
How to reduce food waste Perhaps nothing can spoil an appetite more than a crisper drawer full of fresh vegetables that have taken a turn for the worse. Spoiled food is not just unsafe to eat, but it is also very costly. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate that the average family of four throws out nearly $1,500 worth of food and beverages each year. That means that, within seven years, the average family has spent more than $10,000 on food they did not eat. In recognition of the problems posed by food waste, the National Grange, the oldest farm and food advocacy organization in the United States, aims to create a cultural shift that
reduces food waste. Individual consumers can do their part in supporting that shift by taking various steps to reduce food waste in their homes. • Take inventory before going to the grocery store. An inventory of the refrigerator and pantry can help shoppers avoid buying items they already have. This is especially valuable at reducing food waste in regard to perishable items that can spoil before shoppers have a chance to eat them. • Make a meal plan and grocery list. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that meal plans and accompanying grocery lists help consumers reduce food waste and save money by decreasing the likelihood that they will buy items
they won’t need for the meals they plan to eat in the week ahead. • Purchase frozen foods. Organic, fresh vegetables eaten when they are most ripe may be the healthiest way to eat vegetables. However, frozen vegetables still have ample nutritional value, and may even boast a higher nutritional value than off-season, fresh vegetables sold at the grocery store. That’s because frozen fruits and vegetables are picked when they’re ripe and then immersed in boiling water to kill bacteria and prevent enzyme activity that can spoil food. They’re then immediately flash frozen, a process that typically preserves nutrients. The long shelf life of frozen fruits and vegetables reduces the
likelihood that shoppers will throw them out before eating them. That’s not the case with fresh vegetables, which the ANDF and the USDA note account for more than 30 percent of food waste each year. • Wash berries only as you eat them. When eating fresh berries, wait to wash them until you eat them. The risk of mold forming increases when washing an entire container all at once, whereas only washing the berries as they’re eaten increases the likelihood that they won’t spoil before they’re all eaten. Food waste is a global problem that can be fixed. And that solution can start in the kitchens of consumers willing to do their part.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
14- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
E-Kay a big part of Biggar’s economy
Since it’s inception in 1983 in Alberta, E-Kay Enterprises has evolved as a manufacturer of unique agricultural products. They relocated to Biggar in 2007, and have been an incredible addition to the community since their arrival. The company was founded by George and Joan Ekman who began as grain farmers and had many decades of experience dealing with the frustrations and limitations that grain handling equipment could provide at the time. As a creative individual and unsatisfied with such inefficiencies, George invented ways of dealing with some of these frustrations. He is the inventor and original builder of the Hydra Sweep and the Round-About which he promoted tirelessly at trade shows across Western Canada. He has always taken pride in offering a quality product to help farmers enjoy greater profits and efficiencies. George’s first customers were his neighbours and the business grew from there. E-Kay’s second-generation owner, Leroy, watched by his side as a young boy, gaining a passion in how things worked on the farm. George’s scrap yard was basically the boy’s playground and many hours were spend investigating old equipment, and disassembling for make believe projects, often resulting in George missing some tools. Leroy remembers when he was 9 years old seeing the plans for the farm’s
first auger mover in 1975, later being produced in the farm shop and being marketed as the RoundAbout across Western Canada which had ignited a spark of enthusiasm that has never gone out. In 1989, Leroy returned to the farm from the oil patch to work for the family business. Leroy eventually took over the responsibility of the manufacturing, with George focused on marketing & management; a team that would work together for the next 25 years to offer products inspired by the needs of Western Canadian producers. E-Kay Enterprises is a company with a history of innovation. Together George, Leroy, and family have followed the motto of “concept to reality” by identifying needs and developing concepts to build a finished design. Their track record is proven with numerous innovations and popular products. Leroy credits the success of the business to more than a family effort, with now 37 years in the operation. He has seen the dedication of the staff help develop, manufacture, & promote their products with continuous improvement as a guiding principal. Their two main product lines currently are Crop Dividers and the new 2020 model XTL Grain Auger, dubbed “The Biggar Auger” which was unveiled at a Customer Appreciation barbecue in August of 2019. The Crop Dividers are designed to “Save Your
Crop, Your Back, and Your Tires”. They have made this possible with features such as Springloaded pivoting nose cones, Superior and lightweight Arm Brackets, and their Fast Attach “Obstruction-Free” pocket mounts that are concealed behind the cone which avoids additional contact with the crop and maximizes performance. E-Kay’s customers tell them that their robust design has certainly exceeded their expectations, with some being third or fourth time purchases when they upgrade their sprayer. E-Kay’s Crop Dividers have been sold across Western Canada, the United States, as well as distributed across Australia. The Biggar Auger boasts innovative features that exceeds its competitors on the market including an industry leading 10 gauge heavy-wall tube, quarter-inch high performance flighting with expanded pitch and their
unique Double Scissor Lift design which maximizes the length of the intake and discharge ends. Other notable features include Heavy-Duty Double-60 Chain Driven wheels coupled with positive spring loaded pin engagements (the only Auger on the market with this) provides extended service life & reduces sprocket wear, Joystick Steering matched with Variable speed control for safe operation and precise control, heavy-duty 18.5” twinned castor wheels for maximum stability. The colour combination of the three colours represents the very essence of Agriculture. Black for the soil and seed, blue for the blessing of rain, and yellow for sunshine that we bask in. All of which we rely on daily to flourish, create, and pass to the next generation.
15- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020
What dairy does for you and your body A balanced diet that’s rich in nutrients is a key component of a healthy lifestyle. Nutritious diets include fruits and vegetables, but a truly well-rounded diet also includes dairy. The Dairy Council of California® notes that dairy products are good sources of calcium and vitamin D, giving them a well-earned reputation as nutrient-rich products worthy of inclusion in healthy diets. Dairy products are more than just milk. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture notes that low- or reduced-fat cheeses and yogurts can provide a host of vitamins and nutrients for those who want to include dairy in their diets without pouring themselves a glass of milk. The effects of dairy on the body are numerous, and the following are just some of the ways that the various nutrients and vitamins in dairy can have a positive impact on you and your body.
Calcium Various dairy products, including low-fat milk, yogurt and cot-
tage cheese, are rich in calcium. The USDA notes that the body uses calcium to build bones and teeth and maintain bone mass. That can help people lower their risk for osteoporosis, a potentially debilitating condition characterized by brittle, fragile bones that are vulnerable to injury due to tissue loss.
people can overdo it in regard to vitamin D. In fact, a 2010 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that intake of very high doses of vitamin D among older women was linked to more falls and fractures. That’s something to consider for people considering vitamin D
Vitamin D Dairy products that are fortified with vitamin D can help to build and maintain healthy bones. Milk, soy milk and certain yogurts and cereals are among the products that may be fortified with vitamin D. It’s important to note that
supplements, which have become widely popular
in recent years. Such supplements should be discussed with a physician, who may just advise those concerned about their vitamin D intake to consume more low-fat dairy products.
Potassium According to the
USDA, certain dairy products can be great sources of potassium. The organization notes that milk and yogurt have more potassium and less sodium than cheeses. Diets that include sufficient potassium have
been linked to healthy blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables may the first foods people think of when crafting healthy eating habits. But dairy products also make great, nutrient-rich additions to any diet.
16- THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK
SALUTE to AGRICULTURE
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020