Estevan

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reporting the presence of AI in three non-commercial poultry flocks in Saskatchewan last week, in the RM of Indian Head, the RM of Colonsay, and the RM of Lipton.

To date, one case has been found in a commercial poultry operation in Manitoba in the RM of Wallace.

Previous occurrences have been found in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Most poultry and egg production operations already have biosecurity measures in place, but producers who maintain small flocks, should look at enhancing their on-farm biosecurity measures.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to navigate a delicate balance during his first in-person meeting with Donald Trump today, following months of the U.S. president targeting Canada with tariffs and taunts.

Carney and Trump will meet at the White House and the prime minister has said he expects "difficult, but constructive" conversations.

Carney has said the meeting will mark the beginning of a larger economic and security agreement between Canada and the United States.

Newly elected Conservatives and returning MPs are set to meet in Ottawa this morning as the party charts its path forward after last week's election loss to the Liberals.

Leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his bid to continue representing the riding of Carleton after 20 years as the area's MP, will not be in the House of Commons when it opens later this month.

In a video posted on social media Monday afternoon, Poilievre says he has a lot to be thankful for after the election, including an expanded coalition of Conservative voters.

 Alliance will remain a 'standalone' brand under Canterra ownership.

The lone remaining shareholder in a pedigreed seed company formed by a group of independent grain handling companies in Western Canada is selling that business to another Prairie seed firm.

Canterra Seeds announced May 1 it has acquired Alliance Seed for an undisclosed amount, and will continue to operate Alliance as “a standalone brand under Canterra Seeds’ umbrella, with key staff transitioning to maintain continuity and customer relationships.”

SASKATOON — Canada has far fewer green peas than the government is reporting, says an analyst.

“Purely from a price perspective, markets believe the Canadian harvest was smaller than estimated by Statistics Canada,” Stat Publishing noted in a recent article.

Using crop insurance data, a “strong argument” can be made that growers planted 358,000 acres of green peas last year, well below Statistics Canada’s 463,000-acre estimate.

Stat believes the area has been over-reported since 2021.

Root rots are the number one disease issue for pulse crops, significantly impacting pea and lentil fields across the Prairies.  Studies show that the disease which thrives in warm, wet conditions can cause a yield loss of anywhere from 60 to 84 percent.

Last year, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture conducted a pulse disease survey, which focused on the root rot disease complex.

The Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative Lab reports this year’s first avian influenza case in a wild bird was found in the Saskatoon region.

Wildlife biologist Erin Moffatt says most of the dead wild birds sent for testing have come from southern areas of the province.

Most of the dead birds being found now are Canada geese or snow geese. There were nine positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds located in Saskatchewan last year.

Moffatt says there are a few stages in the testing process.

Janelle Luddington has been honoured with the highest recognition a Kin Canada member can receive — a life membership.

Luddington, who has been part of the Estevan Kinette Club since 2007, was shocked to learn she had been selected.

“It was pretty wild. I was completely surprised,” Ludington said. “My friends with the Estevan Kinettes and my family kept it a secret from me. I had no idea it was happening.”

Moosomin is set to become the newest hub for junior hockey in southeast Saskatchewan, as the town prepares to welcome the Steelhawks, an expansion franchise in the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL).

The team is the vision of Blake Martinek and his father, who approached the town about a year ago with the idea. Mike Schwean, Moosomin’s Director of Parks and Recreation and president of the Moosomin Rangers, said the community has long been interested in hosting a junior B team.

The long-anticipated modular MRI project at St. Joseph’s Hospital has officially taken its first step, with geotechnical soil testing now underway.

Candace Kopec, the executive director at St. Joseph’s Hospital, said SDI Canada is leading the project, and ParklandGEO was on-site this week to conduct the testing.