Couple Uses Mystique And Romance
Western Producer / William DeKay
HANLEY, Sask. — Sell a bison burger and you’re selling a story. That’s how Les and Kathy Kroeger approach their business and their customers.
“I’ve got my passion for talking about bison and the land. And I sell my story, whether it’s in a package of steak or a package of ground,” said Les.
Kathy emphasizes the heritage of the animal and the ways people view it.
“It’s important that we keep sharing the stories with one another because everybody who comes in contact with bison, to whatever degree, has a story to tell about them,” she said.
The couple operate Rosedale Bison, a 250-head, 1,250-acre ranch bordering the town of Hanley. Part of it was homesteaded by Les’s grandfather, who immigrated from Russia in the 1920s.
Les grew up milking dairy cows with his father, but that mostly ended after they sold a chunk of pasture to make room for construction of the four-lane Highway 11.
“Dad was determined we would never milk another cow. He got the idea of trying bison, so in 1989 we bought our first four bison cows and that began this whole process,” he said.
A few years later, the Saskatchewan Bison Association was established to promote the bison industry and to represent the interests of bison producers, which numbered 24 producers at that time and sits at about 300 today.
Les is a past president of that organization and current president of the Canadian Bison Association, which hosted the International Bison Convention in Saskatoon in July. Read More HERE
Saskatchewan Expands Eligibility for Loan Forgiveness For Veterinarians And Veterinary Technologists
Saskatchewan.ca /
Released on September 6, 2022
The Government of Saskatchewan is expanding eligibility for the Saskatchewan Loan Forgiveness for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technologists program. Any Saskatchewan veterinary practice that offers veterinary services to livestock stakeholders from rural or remote communities is now eligible, which includes, but is not limited to, ambulatory service delivery. This expansion is in addition to designated communities previously announced in 2021, and the service threshold continues to be a minimum of 400 hours of services over a twelve-month period.
Saskatchewan's growing economy is fueling high demand for veterinary professionals working in our rural and remote communities. This program is intended to attract veterinary professionals to work in rural areas by forgiving a portion of their Saskatchewan Student Loan debt for up to five years to a maximum of $20,000.
"We recognize that the veterinarian shortages in rural Saskatchewan will take ongoing collaboration to resolve," Agriculture Minister David Marit said. "The Government of Saskatchewan takes this issue seriously and is committed to continuing to find additional solutions." Read Full Release HERE
Cut of the Week
Rangeland Steaks
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Destination Stratford & Perth County launches 2nd in Series Highlighting Farm-To-Table Experience
The Ranch 100 /
Segment follows chef Arron Carley, Culinary Director at Keystone Hospitality on a journey to Blanbrook Bison Farm, and the journey of the food directly to a dinner table.
Destination Stratford, Perth County Tourism, and RTO4 partnered together earlier this year to create a compelling series of video segments.
The second video in the series, launched today is entitled “Perth County Farms to Stratford Tables” and showcases the relationship between Stratford chefs & Perth County farmers.
The segment follows chef Arron Carley, Culinary Director at Keystone Hospitality on a journey to Blanbrook Bison Farm, a farm owned & operated by Bruce and Shirley Mills in Perth South.
It shows the process of the chef personally picking up the bison meat, returning to the restaurant and thoughtfully preparing and delivering the meal to the table.
The video can be found both on the Destination Stratford & Perth County Tourism Social Media Channels. See Video HERE
Terroir Symposium Comes To Calgary
Noble Premium Bison
https://noblepremiumbison.com/meet-noble
/blog/noble-joins-terroir-at-calgarys-
inaugural-hospitality-symposium/
NCBA Testifies In Favor Of The Livestock Regulatory Protection Act
Meat Poultry / Rachel Oatman
WASHINGTON — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) urged the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to pass legislation that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing permits intended to reduce livestock emissions.
The Livestock Regulatory Protection Act was initially proposed in April 2021 by Senators John Thune and Kyrsten Sinema.
“American cattle producers’ commitment to reducing their environmental footprint while simultaneously improving efficiency makes our farms and ranches the most sustainable in the world,” said Mary-Thomas Hart, NCBA chief counsel. “Unfortunately, overregulation and excessive permitting would jeopardize the cattle industry’s progress towards greater sustainability. NCBA strongly supports the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act, which protects farmers and ranchers from onerous regulation. We thank Senators John Thune (R-SD), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), John Boozman (R-Ariz.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for their sponsorship and we urge all senators to support this bill.”
Other supporters of the bill include the American Farm Bureau Federation, Ducks Unlimited, US Cattlemen’s Association, American Sheep Industry Association, National Bison Association, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA).
“America’s beef producers, like consumers and regulators, are focused on continuous improvement in environmental conservation and sustainability,” said Eric Jennings, SDCA president. “Creating burdensome permitting requirements that aren’t firmly backed by sound science aren’t an effective solution to improving the environment, incentivizing good environmental management is.”
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works heard NCBA’s testimony on Sept. 7 and will vote on the bill before opening it up to the Senate floor.
Original Article
Canada's Ag Industry Would Benefit From 'Cyber Barn Raising' To Protect Farmers From Online Attacks: Experts
CBC News / Kate Bueckert
'If farmers are under threat, then so are the rest of us,' researcher Janos Botschner says
Cathy Lennon can't recall the last time she met a farmer who didn't have a cellphone.
"Whether that is sort of your modern-day farmer or your traditional even Mennonite farmer, they have cellphones and smartphones in their pocket," Lennon, the general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), said in a phone interview from her office in Guelph, Ont.
She said there's an increasing amount of technology and data on farms and in the agricultural sector. But as farm equipment becomes more advanced and connected to the internet, there also are concerns they'll become targets for cyberattacks, something that could also put Canada's food security at risk.
Ali Dehghantanha is a computer scientist at the University of Guelph and the Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity and threat intelligence.
His Cyber Science Lab focuses on cybersecurity, digital forensics, threat hunting and threat intelligence. In the past year, it has been called to investigate 11 cases of cyberattacks involving the farm industry. Dehghantanha said that a significant number.
He said the most common attacks involve ransomware, where the attacker gains access to a computer system and data, then asks for payment to release it back to the individual. Read More HERE
