709 Dancers for Prince Albert Festival of Dance 2025

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709 Dancers for Prince Albert Festival of Dance 2025

More than 700 dancers from 12 dance studios across Saskatchewan where tapping and twirling across the E.A. Rawlinson Stage on Friday for the third day of the Prince Albert Festival of Dance.

The event began on Wednesday night and continues until Sunday. In total, 709 dancers are taking part. “It’s pretty wonderful when we get together as this volunteer group through the year and create this,” Volunteer Coordinator and Social Media Coordinator Erin Hall said. “We knew what we were getting into but when the excitement and all the people started rushing in, it’s just amazing and so satisfying.”

Hall said the festival provides Saskatchewan dance students with an opportunity to showcase their talents while also competing for awards. More than $20,000 in scholarships will be given out to dancers thanks to generous community sponsors who are supporting the event. Hall said it’s also great for Prince Albert dancers to have a big festival closer to home. “The local dancers are lucky to be able to keep going to school as much as they can to have their home bed to sleep in at night, and to not have to worry about the travel and everything else that comes with that,” she explained. “For the (visiting) dancers, they get this really amazing experience and just dance in general is so good for these kids. They are not just learning how to be great dancers, they are learning how to be great human beings”. This year the festival has an award for the team with the cleanest room tagged the Dazzle broom award. Two adjudicators will be screening the 709 dancers to get the top three at the end of the festival.

“They get right up there. We line up all of the dancers who have just performed for them. The top three placings get their marks and adjudications on stage, so (it’s) immediate feedback,” Hall said.

Eighteen-year-old Halle Twyver was among the many dancers taking part in the festival. She dances with Bold Dance Productions out of Prince Albert, and said it’s always exiting to take part in the festival. “It’s an awesome community,” Twyver said. “Everyone is uplifting and having fun. Even people who are not from the same studios are cheering each other on, saying ‘good job, good luck, have fun’. It’s really fun to be at your home town festival and at such a beautiful facility.” Twyver started dancing when she was 2 years old. She trains in all styles, but her favorite being Ballet. After graduation, she hopes to do some sort of dancing in future either choreography, teaching or dancing herself, so she values the opportunity to perform in front of adjudicators.

“It’s always nice to have critiques from someone who has never seen your dancing before and maybe sees something your teachers haven’t picked up on,” she said. “I helps to find tune your dancing, and help you improve in the future.”

The dancing continues at the E.A. Rawlinson on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. nd on Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Snow can’t delay Seedy Saturday

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Snow can’t delay Seedy Saturday

Prince Albert may still have plenty of snow on the ground, but that didn’t stop prospective gardeners from coming out to the annual Seedy Saturday seed exchange at the Prince Albert Public Library on March 29.

In fact, organizer Keri Sapsford said it may have helped with turnout.

“They’re excited for gardening this year,” she said.

“That’s always the way it is in March. It’s either looking like spring or under two feet of snow,” she added.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald People took the time to talk about gardening during Seedy Saturday at the Prince Albert Public Library on Saturday.

Saturdays event included a documentary on urban agriculture, a workshop with Kim Ross on no-till gardening, a display from Wesmor High School on pumpkin seeds, and of course, the seed exchange.

“Seedy Saturday is a celebration of spring gardening and seeds and … promoting environmentally friendly practices,” Sapsford said. They’re also hoping to grow their Garden Club, which will meet once a month. “If you are interested in doing that you can look it up on my (Facebook) page,” Sapsford said. “Garden Club is just a gardening social club where you get together to help each other with gardening passes and … learn about gardening, meet each other, and create community.”

–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

Swinging with the Stars – “Prince Albert never disappoints”

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Swinging with the Stars – “Prince Albert never disappoints”

Swinging with the Stars was held on Saturday, March 29 at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre with the goal of raising funds for Hope’s Home. The event began with some blessings and prayers by Elder Liz and greetings from Lisa Wyatt, CEO Hope’s Home and Jacque Tisher, the founder of Hope’s Home.

“We have been in Prince Albert for I believe it’s been 12 years now and Prince Albert never disappoints,” Wyatt said. “We are always ready to be here and they are always showing up for us when we need them the most.” Presenting Sponsors Malcom Jenkins and Mark Ripley also extended their greetings to the guests and other attendees.

The event was hosted by former dancer Shari Morrison and Trevor Gowen. “(It’s) everything for our organization,” Wyatt said. “We have to fundraise every year to meet deficits. We have some government funding but because of what we do and the specialized care we provide—we want to provide exceptional care—and that means we need a lot of staffing. Unfortunately, we still need to fundraise to meet those needs, and we are willing to do it because our family and children deserve the best.”

The judges for the event were Malcolm Jenkins, a local philanthropist, a huge supporter of Hope’s Home who returned as judge from the 2024 event, Rachel Bremner, the assistant Director First Nations and Metis Services with Sask. Health authority, dance instructor with Bold Dance Production and past Swinging with the Stars professional dancer, Craig Guidinger, Director of Community Development with the City of Prince Albert and 2023 Swinging with the Stars Celebrity Dancer, and Carey Hyndman, the Manager of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement with Orano.

There was a special performance by Lucius AKA Lulu to the excitement of the crowd. There were many interesting dance performances with Brenner Holash and partner, Sara Stahl exciting the crowd and taking home the People’s Choice. The Judges Choice Award went to local realtor Brooklynn Valcourt and Melfort Dance Centre owner and choreographer Jennifer Mauvieux, who drew on Valcourt’s musical skills for a country music-inspired performance.

“The purpose is to entertain the crowd. All of these people come out here to spend the evening with us. We just wanted to put something together that would at least get people on their feet, excited, and maybe dancing to the music,” Mauvieux added. This was Valcourt’s first time competing in Swinging with the Stars. She was inspired to do so after attending last year’s event.

“I always like doing something new and I always love a challenge,” Valcourt said. “I love being on stage. Singing is obviously my strong suit, but when I came last year and saw everyone performing, everyone was having the best time on stage. As a performer, I know how much fun that is, so I was like, ‘I need to do that too.’”

Their performance changed several times during rehearsals. Mauvieux said they tried a variety of ideas before settling on their routine.

Both dancers described the judges choice Award as the “cherry on top”. They said supporting Hope’s Home was the important part.

“I love doing anything for Prince Albert and our community,” Valcourt said. “I think Prince Albert is an amazing city, and Hope’s Home, I’ve been going to their events since before (Swinging with the Stars).”

“We’re both really grateful for the opportunity to have been asked,” Mauvieux added. “We’re both proud to be from this community.”

Final fundraising totals were not available at press time.

–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Poutine Week crowns new winner

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Poutine Week crowns new winner

Diners in Prince Albert showed great support during PA Poutine Week 2025 for Big Brothers Big Sisters youth mentoring programs.

A total of 1,428 poutines were sold across the city with $4 from each one sold going to charity, to help build life-changing mentoring relationships. Venice House on Central, a new entrant into this year’s Poutine Week, dished out a Potato Skin Poutine that got plenty of love during the week-long event. The restaurant ended up winning the Gravy Bowl for most poutines sold, and the Poutine Choice Award for most social media shares. The Trophies were presented on Thursday “It was a lot of fun,” said Venice House Manager Katie Yannacoulias. “The staff had a lot of fun challenging themselves and everybody got to work together for a great cause and even the customers coming in, everybody was willing to help out and we just had a lot of fun doing it.

Venice House sold 298 poutines to win their first Gravy Bowl Championship, plus and 8 passes to Prince Albert Xscapes. Their Poutine Choice Award also netted the staff 10 passes to Galaxy Cinemas.

To help boost sales, the Venice House staff held their own internal competition during the week.

“The staff is pretty competitive here, so they had a lot of fun challenging themselves to sell the poutine,” Yannacoulias said with a laugh. “They knew it was for a really good cause, so that also really helps.

Yannacoulias is a former volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, so she was happy to support the week-long event too.

“When we saw that email (invitation) I knew that we were going to help, for sure,” she said.

Thomson, Development Coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert said in a press release. “We want to thank Venice House for their hard work, but also want to acknowledge the contribution of every single restaurant who participated in making this event a success.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters Development Coordinator Natasha Thomson was on hand to present the trophies and passes. Thomson said the organization was grateful for the support from Venice House.

“We were happy to come in this year for the first time, and they really did great,” she said. Original Joe’s came very close to winning the Gravy Bowl this year with 267 poutines sold and popular Lulu’s Kitchen sold 208 poutines to come in third. The PAGCC Rock & Iron sold 156 poutines, and Boston Pizza sold 130 to round out the top five.

There were 11 Prince Albert restaurants that participated in the event. Together, they raised $5,712 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The funds will help the organization recruit, train and support volunteers to mentor youths in the community who face adversities, helping them gain skills, build confidence and improve their mental health & wellbeing.

“It just warms our heart to see so much community support for this event. It’s a wonderful event and it’s really going to help us,” Thomson said.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Two students off to Fredericton after winning Science Fair

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Two students off to Fredericton after winning Science Fair

Students five local schools put their knowledge and creations on display at the 2025 Northeast Regional Science Fair on Thursday.

The Science Fair had 50 projects from students at Carlton Comprehensive Public High School, West Central Public School, Red Wing Public School, Christopher Lake Public School, and Shellbrook Elementary School.

The two winners are Grade 8 students Olivia Gorder and Daycee Flying Buffalo. They will now compete with winners from other regions at the National Science Fair to be held in Fredericton, New Brunswick from May 31-June 7.

This was the second year in a row Flying Buffalo took top spot.

“It means a lot,” she said. “I was very excited with doing this because last year I had a great experience and I wanted to experience that again.”

Last year, Flying Buffalo created a game to help people learn about mental health. This year she expanded on that idea to teach people about Indigenous culture and mental health called Horizon and Roots.

“I just thought providing youth with something to (teach them) about their culture and mental health would help them, so I made a game to provide them with it,” she said.

Gorder’s project focused on biodegradable hydrogels and whether they can help farmers conserve water. The project looked at what types of hydrogels work best.

“I just wanted to do something different,” Gorder said. “I wanted to see what would happen if we tried something else instead of just the original thought of putting water into the ground and hope the seeds grow fast.”

Gorder said many of her fellow students loved the project, so she wasn’t surprised to win.

“A few of my friends from school kept saying they knew I would win, and my project was really” she said. “From there on, I kind of knew.”

The organizers thanked the sponsors, volunteers and judges for all of their support in putting the event together. Certificates were presented in a number of categories for students in Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7 and Grade 8 before the overall winners were announced as follows:

Grade 5

3rd Place- Sophie Jacobi- Christopher Lake School- How Blue Light Affects Your Sleep

2nd Place- Aubrielle Booth, Claire Lauder & Emma Verbonac- Shellbrook Elementary- Plant Growth Under Different Lights

1st Place- Kayla Carnegie- Christopher Lake School- How Does Different Types of Music Affect Your Heart Rate.

Grade 6

3rd Place- Kara Watt & Nevaeh Henderson- West Central School- Candles vs. Headaches

2nd Place- Seth Killaby- Christopher Lake School- Insulation Project

1st Place- Zoey Peterson- Cats vs. Cat Toys

Grade 7

3rd Place- Ella Fendelet- Christopher Lake School- Harvesting Fog

2nd Place- Ashtyn King- West Central School- Necklace Balancer

1st Place- Jacob Schlamp- Christopher Lake School- Sustainable and Alternative Cooking Methods

Grade 8

3rd Place- Milana Lishchenko- West Central School- Microwaving Seeds

2nd Place- Olivia Gorder- Red Wing School- Hydrogels Water Conservation

1st Place- Daycee Flying Buffalo- West Central School- Horizons and Roots

High School

The 1st Place winners are Vraj Patel & Carter Lysak from Carlton Comprehensive High School and their project was titled – FRED the Robotic Hand.

–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Child welfare organization excited to receive provincial funding to expand Prince Albert footprint

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Child welfare organization excited to receive provincial funding to expand Prince Albert footprint

QBOW opened their first Emergency Placement Home in Prince Albert on March 10

Uko Akpanuko
Daily Herald

Child welfares services organization QBOW said it is grateful to receive roughly $908,000 in provincial funding to expand their services in Prince Albert.

The new funding was officially announced on Monday and will allow QBOW to operate a second community-based home that provides temporary care for children under 12 who are in the care of the Ministry of Social Services.

“It’s important for us an agency to continue to build those partnerships within the province,” QBOW Child and Family Services Executive Director Carmen Fourstar said in an interview. “Our agency is federally funded through ISC and when we are able to build partnerships with the province and be operating this type of homes … it feels good as an agency that we are able to do so and that we are very supportive and the partnership and relationship that we have with the people at MSS (Ministry of Social Services) is so important to us.”

The new five-space home opened its doors on March 10. It is QBOW’s first Emergency Placement home. Fourstar said the home is a safe space for children that provides a family-life structure.

“QBOW strives to ensure that our community homes are embedded in culture, ceremony, language and tradition,” Fourstar said.  “We ensure these needs are met along with the children’s physical, emotional, and mental needs. The children who live in our homes are loved, nurtured, and cared for to the best of our abilities. Our staff are trained and work hard to ensure it is a safe space for everyone.”
Community-based homes offer immediate placement options for children who cannot safely remain at home while the ministry works with their parents to address safety concerns or until a family-based care option is identified, such as an extended family member.
“This new community-based home addresses the need in Prince Albert and surrounding area for safe and supportive short-term placement options for children who are entering into care,” Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said in a press release. “Partnering with QBOW Child and Family Services will ensure children from the Prince Albert area remain close to their families, friends, school community and cultural connections.”
Fourstar said they wanted to expand their footprint in Prince Albert because two of the four First Nations QBOW represents are located in the area: Beardy’s and Okemasis and Wahpeton Dakota Nation.

She said the organization has had success running homes in the south, and wanted to see similar homes open in the north. With Beardys and Wahpeton so close by, she said, Prince Albert was the obvious choice.

“The need is great, regardless of where you go within the province,” she said.


QBOW Child and Family Services Inc. provides child welfare services to four First Nations in Saskatchewan: Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation, Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, Wahpeton Dakota Nation and Wood Mountain Lakota Nation. QBOW also currently operates two other ministry-funded community-based care homes – one in Fort Qu’Appelle and another in Prince Albert.
The ministry also looks to extended family, with nearly 60 per cent of children in out of home care being placed with extended family members.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Prince Albert Music Festival forges ahead despite uncertainty

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Prince Albert Music Festival forges ahead despite uncertainty

Another year of music is in the books after the Prince Albert Music Festival 2025 ended with the Band Awards Concert at Messiah Lutheran Church on Saturday.

The 77th edition of the festival ran from March 3 – 21 and was held at the Mont St Joseph, Carlton and the Messiah Lutheran Church. The festival was organized by the Prince Albert Musical Festival Association (PAMFA).

PAMFA President Jordana Thiessen said more than 200 musicians performed at the festival. She said organizers were pleased with the turnout, despite the challenges. “I won’t say it went off without a hitch,” Thiessen said. “There were some hitches, but everything worked out really well.

The biggest challenge of the year was holding the festival without a coordinator. Thiessen said they still have plans to fill the position. The organization has their AGM on Monday, Sept. 22 at the Margo Fournier Art Centre where they plan to fill the position.

“Ideally, we would have someone lined up and then they would officially start that Sept. 22,” Thiessen said.

“We had multiple members who were doing jobs that normally would fall to the Festival Coordinator, and it’s not sustainable,” she added. “The reality is that we can’t do the festival without a festival coordinator.”

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Anabelle Bergeron performed “Minuet in G Major” on the flute at the Prince Albert Music Festival Instrumental and Band Awards Concert on Saturday at the Messiah Lutheran Church.
Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

The Prince Albert Children’s Choir performed “Whistle Down the Wind” at the Prince Albert Music Festival Vocal Awards Concert on Friday at the Messiah Lutheran Church.
Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Alexandrine Bergeron and Lydia Bergeron performed “Sisters” at the Prince Albert Music Festival Vocal Awards Concert on Friday at the Messiah Lutheran Church.
Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Olivia Scott performed “Humoresque” on the violin at the Prince Albert Music Festival Instrumental and Band Awards Concert on Saturday at the Messiah Lutheran Church.
Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Leigha Dunn performed “Always a Bridesmaid” at the Prince Albert Music Festival Vocal Awards Concert on Friday at the Messiah Lutheran Church.

The festival has other positions open too, but Thiessen said the coordinator position is the most vital.

The other big change this year involved their venue. The festival organized a few shows at the Mont St. Joseph Home this year for the first time. Thiessen said they were happy with how it turned out.

“It (Mont St Joseph) was really great. It was a beautiful venue, and they have all this artwork hanging up too, so it was really nice,” she said. “They’ve got those curtains that open up and we had enough people that they had to open it up and make more room for people. I think it was really great. I hope some residents came and were able to listen.”

Finally, Thiessen expressed her appreciation to all who contributed in one way or the other to make the event a success.

“A big thank you to the Messiah Lutheran Church, Mont St Joseph and Carlton for being our venues,” she said. “A big thank you to all of our board members and all of our volunteers who helped … and of course all the teachers and parents for supporting the students.”

–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

‘Ticket to Hollywood’: EA Rawlinson Centre to host Edmonton Pops Orchestra concert and workshop

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‘Ticket to Hollywood’: EA Rawlinson Centre to host Edmonton Pops Orchestra concert and workshop

The Edmonton Pops Orchestra will be performing at the EA Rawlinson Centre in Prince Albert on Mar. 29 at 7:30 p.m. with the theme: Ticket to Hollywood.

Edmonton Pops Orchestra artistic coordinator Michael Clark said whether it’s on a streaming platform or in the theatre, movie scores still bring up strong emotions in audiences. They’re hoping to evoke those thoughts and feelings with their Mar. 29 performance.

“When you hear the music tone of those movies you think back to where you were and what you were doing when you saw it and who you were with and what that made you feel,” Clark said during an interview on Thursday. “We’re hoping to take some of those people … and hopefully we can inspire some of these thoughts and feelings that people feel in the movie theatre or at home in front of their TV.”

The performance will include performances of music from Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Back to the Future, among others.

“It’s a very high energy show,” Clark said. “I would encourage everybody to come to it. We’re really looking forward to coming to Prince Albert.

The March 29 concert is one of two items on the Orchestra’s Prince Albert itinerary. They also have plans in place to host a community workshop that will open on Sunday Mar. 30 at 11 a.m.

The workshop will give local junior and senior high school band students and community music ensembles a chance to work with and learn from Orchestra members.

Clark grew up in a rural Alberta community with a strong band program, so he never lacked musical opportunities. However, he said band students in rural areas don’t always have the same option, which is why the Edmonton Pops Orchestra hosts free workshops when they can.

Clark said Prince Albert is “a very strong music community” but not every stop on their tour has those kinds of opportunities for young musicians. The orchestra hopes to fill that void with their workshops.

“We want to give those students and community members—those people who didn’t or don’t have that opportunity to connect with careers in music—the opportunity to just give them a glimpse of what that might be like,” he explained. “We’re a touring orchestra … so we wanted to give students and community members in areas of Western Canada that are more rural or maybe don’t have the opportunity to connect with professional musicians, the opportunity to connect, ask questions, and discover what a career as a touring musician or playing in an orchestra might be like.”

The March 30 workshop will include have a “top to bottom” look at the preparation that goes into a show like Ticket to Hollywood. The specific will depend on what instrument the students play. Since Ticket to Hollywood includes song and dance as part of its production, there will also be opportunities for vocal and dance students to learn too.

“It kind of spans the gamut,” Clark explained. “They’ll have the opportunity to ask questions. We’ll do a little ‘Q and A’. If they play an instrument, they’ll be able to sit on stage and play with us, and if they sing and they dance or anything like that they’ll be able to connect with our lead vocalists and sing and dance with the orchestra. We want to give the opportunity for them to not just watch us, but do it with us.”

Clark said they get a wide variety of people out for the workshops, but most participants are junior high or high school students. Most are just getting started in their musical careers, but Clark said they are happy to connect with artists of any skill level.

“We cater to all of those people,” he said. “It’s very conversational and very open to all skill levels.”

The workshop begins at 11 a.m. at the EA Rawlinson Centre. Admission is free.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald


editorial@paherald.sk.ca

RM of Garden River resident begins GoFundMe for bell tower commemorating historic Catholic Church

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RM of Garden River resident begins GoFundMe for bell tower commemorating historic Catholic Church

Uko Akpanuko

Daily Herald

After an important local landmark was destroyed in a fire, residents in the RM of Garden River have banded together to create a bell tower to remember it.

On Feb. 21, the former Saint Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church burned to the ground in a fire still under investigation by the Prince Albert RCMP. The church was located roughly 5 km south of Hwy No. 55.

On March 9, local resident Ian Kosik created a GoFundMe page asking for donations to build a bell tower in the Saint Peter and Paul Cemetery, located north of the church yard. 

“I have lived in the community all my life,” Kosik said. “(The church) is a landmark that burnt…. I want to give back to the community. (It’s) something that I feel is very well needed.”

The fundraiser is personal for Kosik. His dad, grandfather, uncles, and other relatives are buried at the Saint Peter and Paul Cemetery.

The Saint Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1910 by Polish Immigrants who moved to the RM. The building hosted services every Sunday for years, and included a small rectory where the priest stayed.

The Church last hosted an event in 1999 when a reunion was held. It was decommissioned in 2018 due to its poor condition.

Kosik said residents were devastated to lose such an important local landmark.

The construction of the bell tower will honour the memory of the pioneers and early settlers that built the church.

“For many years I’ve driven around and seen other places where they had bell towers in the cemetery,” he explained. “I just thought, since that bell that is going in that bell tower was originally bought for the church … it was just something I thought would make a good remembrance.”

“It’s kind of nice when you drive by on these rural roads then you see landmarks that are still standing,” he added. “It means a lot.”

Money raised will be for material and labor, any other money raised will go to beautifying the cemetery. As of press tie, time, the campaign has raised roughly $2,700.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Crop Talk 2025 gives tips on insects and diseases control

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Crop Talk 2025 gives tips on insects and diseases control

Uko Akpanuko

Daily Herald

The Conservation Learning Centre (CLC) organized and hosted the Crop Talk 2025 program at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation building on March 12.

The event addressed  a lot of issues bothering farmers  in the Prince Albert area ranging from weeds and pest control strategies, tools and resources available for farmers, Agriculture Business risk management, sustainable CAP programs overview and how to manage or control losses during the agriculture season.

“My talk was covering just the past surveys that we do each year here in Saskatchewan and the information that we can glean on that from insects and diseases,” said Allie Noble a Ministry of Agriculture Crop Extension Specialist based out of Prince Albert. “It gives a better understanding for farmers and what they need to watch out for in their fields in 2025.”

Other personalities that were present at the event include Riley Rude from SK Agriculture, Zoe Gallbraith and Aquielle Thorlakson from the CLC, Jared Risling and Marcus Mayall from MNP, Paige Straf and Kaitlin Burns from SK Agriculture, and Shawn Senko from Canola Council of Canada.

Noble said moisture has a large impact on insects and diseases. She said moisture levels typically vary, but they have been higher than usual in the Prince Albert area the last few years.

“We do want to keep an eye out for diseases in the field (and) make sure we are scouting,” she said. “(It’s the) same with insects—make sure we’re scouting. The main message is we have a lot of these information. We can get an idea of what might be on the field but until you’re actually out there and looking for it, you are not going to know.”

Noble said insects and diseases are an issue every year, but can be managed if farmers and researchers keep a close eye on the problem.

Based on disease prevalence from last year, they have a basic idea of what farmers can expect to deal with in 2025. Without a crystal ball, however, she said they can’t say for certain what the impact will be.

Still, she’s confident local producers can manage any insect or disease problems if they stay vigilant.

“There is so much information out there that’s super helpful for producers,” she said. “Keep an eye on what’s going on in the area, keep and eye on what’s going on in the region and also getting out there and scouting in the fields. If you have any questions you call on our regional office and we will be more than happy to help you out on that too.”

Noble said farmers can use the weekly provincial crop report to stay up to date on what’s happening in the growing season.

“(It) gives a good look at what is actually happening in season, what risks we potentially have coming and also help  highlight the issues that producers are running into in their regions,” she said.

She also encouraged local residents to sign up to become crop reporters by visiting their website.

“We have a lot of fantastic crop reporters, but we could always use more,” she said.

—with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

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